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Much like the Y2K bug scare of 1999, there has
been a lot of hype for the past few years about the
Mayan Calendar and the world ending at the end
of this year, what do you think will happen on Dec,
21st 2012?
Jerry: Well, I’m betting that Zeus, Jesus, Muhammad, Krishna, Buddha, the Queen of Blades, and
John Bonham are going to unveil their band called
“The Oh My Gods” and cover the song “It’s the End
of the World” by R.E.M. that day on MTV and PBS
(only if Obama wins) and then sail a boat off the
edge of the fucking earth. Right after that, Predators
will come down and bring some Aliens with them
and trap some people in an underground Antarctican secret temple and have a battle to see who is
the most powerful species of all.
Hypothetically speaking, let’s say scientists warn
the public that an asteroid will hit the Earth 7 days
from now, what are you gonna do that last week?
Jerry: There was a documentary made in 1998
called Armageddon about how we stopped the first
Texas-sized asteroid from hitting the earth and it
ended up being a close call to say the least. Pretty
compelling documentary film. Either way, if it were
to happen again, I bet we wouldn’t be so lucky. It
would only be appropriate for Cherry Cola Champions to help plan a big ole’ party here in N.E. Ohio.
Let’s say on the Lake Erie coastline in November
for some sun and fun, where the host would be Jeff
Russel from Signals Midwest for the whole week.
Ross Horvath (En Garde) would be making his
signature smoothies for everyone, while shit talking
the beer selection, Ben Hendricks from Annabel
would be the DJ and videographer at the same time,
and bartending would be carried out by the one and
only Jeremy Provchy (Worship This!) serving Gin
only...It’s an Ohio thing, I guess.
Lets say you’re on day six with less than 24 hours
until the asteroid hits and you’re thinking about
your life up to this point, what is one thing you
regret doing or not doing?
Jerry: Nah.
Terry: Nope.
08
What album would be the last album you’d want
to listen to?
Jerry: Jimmy Eat World, Static Prevails.
Terry: The Classic Struggle, Feel Like Hell, which
has themes that are disturbingly appropriate for
such circumstances, haha.
The time is near and you look up to the sky and
see the asteroid coming, what are your last words
before impact?
Jerry: “So I says to the guy...”
Terry: “Where are Bruce and Steven when you need
them?”
Odds are everything will be OK and we will enter
into a new year without any catastrophes, do you
have any goals, resolutions, or plans for 2013?
Jerry: Our S/T debut record came out in August this
year, which we proudly did ourselves on 3 colors
here in Cleveland, Ohio. We want to keep playing
shows supporting this record in between school
and work with a larger tour in the summer.
Weekend stints work out great for us because
we live relatively close to some amazing
cities and punk communities. We can
get to Chicago, and NYC in 6 hours
each, respectively (and anywhere in
between). We are looking to do
another 7 inch or full-length
this year. Maybe some splits
too. I will also be booking
the bands again for
Weapons of Mass
Creation Festival and
Brite Winter Festival
in 2013 as well.
Much like the Y2K bug scare of 1999,
there has been a lot of hype for the past
few years about the Mayan Calendar and
the world ending at the end of this year,
what do you think will happen on Dec, 21st
2012?
The Flying Spaghetti Monster will come down
from the pasta heavens and puke toxic tomato
sauce on all the non-believers.
Hypothetically speaking, let’s say scientists warn
the public that an asteroid will hit the Earth 7 days
from now, what are you gonna do that last week?
We would visit our families, have a dinner, get really
wasted, and try to build a rocket so we can travel
to Mars.
Lets say you’re on day six with less than 24
hours until the asteroid hits and you’re
thinking about your life up to this point,
what is one thing you regret doing or
not doing?
Getty a big booty
Moe for Will’s
birthday.
What album would be the last
album you’d want to listen to?
My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and if we had
time, Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”.
The time is near and you look up to the sky and
see the asteroid coming, what are your last words
before impact?
“Truck yeah!”
Odds are everything will be OK and we will enter
into a new year without any catastrophes, do you
have any goals, resolutions, or plans for 2013?
Release our new album and have dinner with Oprah
Winfrey.
Much like the Y2K bug scare of 1999, there has
been a lot of hype for the past few years about the
Mayan Calendar and the world ending at the end
of this year, what do you think will happen on Dec,
21st 2012?
There are lots of theories about this day. Personally,
I agree with all of them. In the early dawn, ancient
zombie Mayans will rise from the grave and exact
their revenge upon the world’s fresh water supply.
They will march to both ice caps, torches in hand,
and manually melt them. Adios salt-free lakes &
reservoirs. Oddly enough, by noontime, an out-offrigen-nowhere black hole will simultaneously eat
the moon, and spew out a Canada-sized asteroid on
a collision course with New
Jersey. Crap. Then comes a
really annoying and wicked bright
series of solar flares. Blood-soaked
riots break out in Sunglass Huts
worldwide. Bummer! At some point, Baby
Jesus and The Devil decide to show up way
too late to make a difference, have a real underwhelming battle royale, someone wins, but the Earth
eats it anyways. Aww, poor humans. 6 o’clock rolls
around and we’re all space dust (again).
Hypothetically speaking, let’s say scientists warn
the public that an asteroid will hit the Earth 7 days
from now, what are you gonna do that last week?
I will be catching the very next flight to California,
and heading straight for Yosemite. Seriously. Ever
been there? It’s jaw-droppingly awesome. Bears,
goats, cliffs, clouds, transient camping folk. What
else do you need? When that idiot rock shows up,
I want to be naked in a waterfall with a bar of Irish
Spring in hand singing “Born In The U.S.A.” at the
top of my lungs.
Lets say you’re on day six with less than 24 hours
until the asteroid hits and you’re thinking about
your life up to this point, what is one thing you
regret doing or not doing?
It’d be kind of hard to think about regrets when
you’re in the buff rocking out to The Boss with
all the freshness of Ireland in hand, but for this
interview’s sake, I’ll pretend it’s possible. The one
sort-of maybe regret that I may have in that moment
would be that I’ve never been to space... I mean,
technically speaking, within a day of said thought, a
pulverized and granulated version of me would blast
out into space and all, but I’d really love to get there
while in a sentient, fleshy form. I’m assuming that
within a few decades from now we’ll all be heading
out on Jet Blue there for family vacations, so it’d be
a total let-down to get all annihilated before then.
What album would be the last album you’d want
to listen to?
I’m pretty sure that I’ve already decided that
Bangarang by Skrillex is the last album I would ever
want to listen to… ever. I would hate to stray from
that decision just because I’m about to die. Now, if
I just wanted some cool tunes to help tune out the
Apocalypse, I’d have to go with Descendents, Milo
Goes To College, Metallica, Master Of Puppets, and
Jethro Tull, Thick As A Brick, all on heavy rotation.
09
The time is near and you look up to the sky and
see the asteroid coming, what are your last words
before impact?
“Hold on to your butts!”
Odds are everything will be OK and we will enter
into a new year without any catastrophes, do you
have any goals, resolutions, or plans for 2013?
Phew! In that case, I would grab life by the balls,
and record a new Save Ends full-length. Also, I
would start running 6 miles a day. That’s a lie. The
full-length, though. That’s on. #YOLTABSDO! (You
Only Live Through A Bullshit Doomsday Once!)
Much like the Y2K bug scare of 1999, there has
been a lot of hype for the past few years about the
Mayan Calendar and the world ending at the end
of this year, what do you think will happen on Dec,
21st 2012?
Nick: I think that the world most likely won’t end
although I’ve always thought that it would be really
cool to witness the end of civilization and the world
in general.
Jesse: Mel Gibson will release a sequel to
Apocolytpo.
Dustin: I think there’s going to be a whole lot of
“end of the world” parties on Dec 21st, after that
we’ll continue living our normal lives.
Hypothetically speaking, let’s say scientists warn
the public that an asteroid will hit the Earth 7 days
from now, what are you gonna do that last week?
Nick: I’d try to go to Australia or somewhere really
far where I have never been before.
Jesse: Eat really badly and go to Six Flags.
Dustin: I would eat tons of food and hang out with
all my friends and family.
Lets say you’re on day six with less than 24 hours
until the asteroid hits and you’re thinking about
your life up to this point, what is one thing you
regret doing or not doing?
Nick: I’d regret wasting so much time with school
instead of making best with time.
Jesse: Dieting.
Dustin: I would regret not travelling as much.
10
What album would be the last album
you’d want to listen to?
Nick: The Pillows, Happy Bivouac.
Jesse: Killing the Dream, Fractures.
Dustin: Brand New, The Devil and God Are
Raging Inside Me.
The time is near and you look
up to the sky and see the asteroid
coming, what are your last words
before impact?
Nick: “Rock n’ roll.”
Jesse: “Romneyyyyy!”
Dustin: “This, is the
last of earth. I am
content.”
Odds are everything
will be OK and we
will enter into a new
year without any
catastrophes, do you
have any goals,
resolutions, or plans for
2013?
Nick: My only goal is to try to
hurry up and get done with school
and try to be free to tour more instead
of waiting for winter and summer break.
Jesse: Win the lottery
Dustin: I hope to travel more, play more
shows, eat more good food and have a good
job.
Much like the Y2K bug scare of 1999, there has
been a lot of hype for the past few years about the
Mayan Calendar and the world ending at the end
of this year, what do you think will happen on Dec,
21st 2012?
I believe that the dinosaurs will return from space to
repopulate the Earth and enslave all humans.
Hypothetically speaking, let’s say scientists warn
the public that an asteroid will hit the Earth 7 days
from now, what are you gonna do that last week?
Have a week-long pizza party and watch every
episode of Cheers in its entirety.
Lets say you’re on day six with less than 24 hours
until the asteroid hits and you’re thinking about
your life up to this point, what is one thing you
regret doing or not doing?
I regret that there are still foods I haven’t eaten.
What album would be the last album you’d want
to listen to?
Is This It by The Strokes.
The time is near and you look up to the sky and
see the asteroid coming, what are your last words
before impact?
“Bang.”
Odds are everything will be OK and we will enter
into a new year without any catastrophes, do you
have any goals, resolutions, or plans for 2013?
We’d like to be able to record and release a fulllength album by the end of 2013.
Much like the Y2K bug scare of 1999, there
has been a lot of hype for the past few
years about the Mayan Calendar
and the world ending at the
end of this year, what do
you think will
happen on Dec,
21st 2012?
December 21st is a
Friday, so regardless of whether
or not they think the world is going
to end, people are going to party. I, for
one, am sure I will end up at an ironically
themed end of the world party myself, and a
lot of people will probably drunkenly debate about
mythology, and superstition, and the existence of
God. Maybe some people will loot, or sell off all
their old stuff thinking they’re going to die, but then
they won’t and be bummed they sold their old crap,
but ultimately nothing will happen.
Hypothetically speaking, let’s say scientists warn
the public that an asteroid will hit the Earth 7 days
from now, what are you gonna do that last week?
Probably go home to NJ and say “Hi” and “I love
you” to my family and friends and probably not
worry so much about homework or finishing Sex
and the City. Maybe I’d even try some new things
or throw a big party, but probably just do what I
usually do without all the filler.
Lets say you’re on day six with less than 24 hours
until the asteroid hits and you’re thinking about
your life up to this point, what is one thing you
regret doing or not doing?
I’d probably regret fighting with my parents or
wasting time doing stuff I didn’t care about, but
I am 19 and don’t have a lot of insight or enough
experiences where I could really fuck up enough to
worry about regret.
What album would be the last album you’d want
to listen to?
Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie, but as loud as I
possibly could, both for the apocalyptic theme and
because it’s my favorite record and the last song
hits really hard and it’d be a pretty sweet way to go
out.
The time is near and you look up to the sky and
see the asteroid coming, what are your last words
before impact?
“Would you look at that?”
Odds are everything will be OK and we will enter
into a new year without any catastrophes, do you
have any goals, resolutions, or plans for 2013?
As an individual, I want to get good grades, and
practice playing music maybe once in a while, and
start exercising more. Maybe go back to learning
ballet, and meet a nice girl who doesn’t listen to the
kind of music I play. As a band, doing a winter tour
and summer tour, pressing the full-length, a new EP,
and maybe a split or two seem like they’re all cool
and promising.
11
Ben Sears
Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate)/Rika Split 7”
(Count Your Lucky Stars/Goddamn)
How did you end up with the opportunity to do the
artwork for the Empire! Empire!/ Rika Split?
Keith and I have crossed paths a lot in the past few
years, and last time we met up we talked about me
doing some artwork for CYLS and Empire! Empire!.
He got in touch with me after that and things got
going.
Did either band have any input into the artwork?
I pretty much got free reign over the drawing, but
I took the lyrical content from both bands and
incorporated it into the artwork.
Was the artwork you did for it specifically done for
that project?
Yeah, I usually draw things specifically for the
project unless the bands ask otherwise.
Did you have any other concepts that you were
going with prior to choosing the final one?
I had a few sketches I ended up not using, but I had
a pretty clear idea of how I wanted it to look, so it
wasn’t a big process of weeding out ideas.
12
How does the artwork for the 7” relate to the
music on the album?
I wanted to work with the clock imagery that Keith’s
lyrics were based on, and he was fond of the spires
I had been drawing at the time so he asked to have
some of those in there. I used the isolated center
justified artwork to represent the bleakness of Rika’s
side of the split.
In addition to doing the artwork for the Empire!
Empire!/ Rika Split, you’ve also done album art
for CSTVT’s Summer Fences and Stay Ahead of
The Weather’s EP. A lot of times you can guess
who designed something by the style they have
and looking at all three side by side by side, there
is a lot of diversity in the artwork there, where
does the diversity in your artwork come from.
It feels like such a huge amount of time passed
between each of those releases, but when I think
about it, they were only a year or so apart from each
other. I’m always experimenting with new mediums
and techniques, and sometimes that experimentation comes across in the album artwork I make. I try
to keep a consistent style at the base of everything,
but doing the same thing over and over gets stale
so it’s good to do things that aren’t characteristic of
what I usually do. As far as the inspiration for
diversity goes, I spend a lot of time reading
comics and looking at art websites and books so
I’m constantly digesting all of those ideas.
You’re pretty prolific with the number of drawings
and sketches you put on your blog every day, how
much time do you spend drawing per day?
The past year has been pretty busy as far as art
goes. I am involved with things (zines/shows/
freelance work) that require me to produce work
on a daily basis, and when I’m not working on final
pieces I’m plotting the next thing. It’s not something
I have to consciously set aside time for. It’s getting
to the point where it’s my daily routine to sit down
and draw for a few hours every day.
I think the “Thanks for Nothing” T-shirt with the
praying hands is such a great example of an
modest design, but has such a strong message,
where did the idea for that shirt come from?
It was a phrase that was floating around in my head
for awhile. It’s sort of addressing people who have
been negative towards me, but it’s also for people
who don’t give themselves enough credit for hard
work that they do. It has some religious undertones
as well, but it’s more towards the big business side
of things and not so much personal spirituality.
You’ve been a on Tumblr Radar a couple of times
and as of October you had reached 5,000 followers, does it ever shock you that so many people
have taken an interest in your work? Did any
opportunities ever stem from being on Tumblr Radar?
Yeah, people being into things I do is always
surprising to me. I’m lucky to have friends who
like and support what I do and are in positions to
promote my work like that. There are a few projects
that have started because of the work on Tumblr,
but to be honest, most of the work I do is still within
the punk community.
You once gave advice to someone on your blog
and you simply said “Practice your craft
religiously”. Does that statement reflect all
aspects of the creative side of your life?
As far as drawing goes, yes. Drawing is an
important part of my life, and I spend a few hours a
day doing it. It’s something I invest myself in, and I
get a lot out of the process. I try and apply the same
thing with drumming, but it’s difficult to get to my
practice space every day.
Besides any self portraits you’ve done, what
drawing or sketch best represents you?
Anything that represents stress, anxiety, discomfort,
and sarcasm is representative of me in some way.
You also drum in Whips/Chains and Black God,
did drawing or music come first to you?
Drawing and music are both equally important to
me. I wouldn’t be playing music if it wasn’t for
drawing, and I wouldn’t be where I am artistically
if it weren’t for the connections I’ve made playing
drums.
13
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What kind of plans do you have post graduation?
Would you rather keep on freelancing or work in a
printing/design firm?
I would really like to continue working with
bands and doing personal work. I’m going to
take some time to figure out exactly what to
do after I graduate, so we’ll see where that
takes me. My dream job is to design band
merchandise and comic book covers, and it
would be nice to find a way to do that.
I know of a number of other drummers that do art
like you do, what is it about drummers and being
creative?
I think it’s common for people in bands to have
other creative outlets, it’s not just limited to
drummers.
What other musician/artists do you follow or are
inspired by?
Oh man, this list is constantly growing. Paolo
Rivera, Juan Gabe, Jacob Van Loon, Francisco
Francavilla, David Aja, Emma Rios, Chris Burnham,
Bill Sienkiewicz, Mike Mignola, Bruce Timm, Chris
Samnee, Mike Allred, Paul Pope, David Cook,
Angryblue, Craig Horky, and so many more.
You also worked at a print shop, what did you
learn at the print shop that made you become a
better designer?
I interned at a letterpress shop over the summer,
and I learned a lot about printing and design as a
result. Letterpress printing keeps you on your toes
physically and mentally, which is the opposite of the
current design environment (sitting behind a
computer for hours on end). It’s important to be
hands on with design sometimes, and working in
the print shop was a great way to not only see the
origins of a lot of design elements, but also go
through the process of designing, setting type, and
printing a piece of work.
16
One of the biggest accomplishments for a
graphic designer/artist, I think, is to be at
a point in their skill where people will give
you free reign to design whatever you want
knowing that whatever you design, they know
it will be good and people will like it. You’ve
been fortunate enough to have clients give you
free reign on designs you’ve done for them, how
do you think a designer/artist gets to that point?
I honestly can’t say. I am fortunate to have friends
who are confident enough in my abilities to hire me
and give me full creative control, but I don’t really
have a system for getting to that point. I think it’s a
combination of having style and content that people
enjoy, but in my experience the free reign comes
from getting to know the people I’m working for on
a personal level.
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Interview with: Jordan Welker Photos: Molly Clark
23
Pswingset originally started in Ohio, quit when
you moved to Austin, TX, but then started up again
with new and old members. How are the Ohio and
Texas versions of this band different and what
kind of opportunities does Austin give a band like
Pswingset that Akron, Ohio did not?
The Ohio version was only a 3-piece, so we were
limited as to what we could do with what we
WANTED to do. Opportunity wise, both locations
offer different things. For one, Akron had tons of
house shows and was closer to other cities we had
friends in (Chicago, NYC, Philly, etc). Austin offers a
lot of things for bands, it being the “Music Capital”
and all, but since there are no basements there are
also a lot less house shows. There are, in its place,
more DIY spots (pizza shops doing shows, all-age
community centers, etc). But when it comes down
to it, both offer the same thing ultimately - just
different paths to get there.
Since you’ve played in the band in both locations,
do you think geographic location influenced the
song writing process at all?
Musically, no. Lyrically, yes - a lot of the songs are
about separation and leaving things. But nothing
cactus or heat related, yet.
You said in another interview that with Pswingset
you were “really trying to break from where you
started 3 years ago”. What were you trying to
break away from?
I don’t remember what I was trying to say, but I
think just trying to do a lot more with it; we always
wanted two guitar players but never found anyone
who fit well with what we were doing. So once
the band reformed and we found Joel to play 2nd
guitar, we were able to get a lot more of our ideas
out and we weren’t limited to one guitar. Because of
that, I really, really give 3-piece bands a lot of credit
because, to do it right, everything has to be perfect.
You’ve all played in bands in the past, what past
bands have you played in that we may of heard
of? What experiences have you taken from your
past bands and applied them to Pswingset?
A lot. Some have just been touring/fill-in positions,
though. I was in Adios for a long time (with Matt
from Papermoons; Danny’s other band) and Danny
was in Little Compass - that’s how we met, we
toured a few times with Little Compass and they
all became great friends of ours. After both bands
broke up, Matt from Adios moved to Texas to start
Papermoons with Danny.
24
Colby was in a band called MANS in Chicago and
then Brother/Ghost, here in Austin, Joel currently
plays in Junius. Other than that, Danny (at different
times) has played with River City High and
O’ Pioneers, and I played with Annabel for a bit.
Pswingset released All Our False Starts earlier
this year via Topshelf, how does it feel to have
accomplished that and what has the reception
been like for it?
It feels really good to have completed that record. At
this point in our lives, we’ve done many tours and
put out a lot of records and, honestly, it’s nice to be
given the opportunity and have people who are into
the music to allow us to do this thing.
Is the album title, All Our False Starts a
reference to the stops and starts the band had in
its early stages?
The album title came about when we were in Denver
recording; Danny made a reference to it, based on
some lyrics from one of the songs, and we sort
of discussed it and decided that really fit best. In
the song he was referring to, it had to do with me
(and a lot of my friends) being stuck in this state of
confusion after graduation about what to do with
our lives and how to do it.
How long did it take to write and record All Our
False Starts ? Did you have an idea of the way you
wanted the album to sound before recording and
did it come out as planned?
It took us a little under a year of writing (we put
out a three song demo during that time with two of
the songs from the record) and a week in Denver,
recording with Tim Gerak (of The Six Parts Seven).
We had ideas about how we wanted it to sound, but
when it comes down to recording, it’s always just
working with what you have and making your own
sound. We had big ideas of the record sounding like
Superdrag’s In The Valley Of Dying Stars mixed with
Hey Mercedes’ S/T EP. When we got there we had
some amp issues, etc, etc, and when it came down
to it, it just became what we sounded like and what
Tim’s style allows. I think it sounds great and we’re
very proud of it and it was amazing getting to work
with Tim (even though I was sick the entire time and
felt like shit for a lot of it).
What kind of topics do the songs on All Our False
Starts deal with?
A lot of the topics deal with separation, distance,
anxiety, and things of that nature. I’m not a straightforward writer so a lot of my lyrics are kind of
coded. In other words, you wouldn’t necessarily
know certain songs’ topics unless you were told and
25
then you could sort of listen for it and understand.
But when it comes to lyrics, I really don’t care for
them to be straight forward; I LIKE when I’m not
entirely sure what the writer means, because it
doesn’t matter. The listener should take what they
want from the lyrics and I think writing a bit
ambiguous helps with that.
When you’re not playing in Pswingset, you have
a career in film editing, what role does Pswingset
play in your life and do your personal obligations
and band obligations ever conflict?
I actually don’t do video editing full-time anymore;
it became too hard to keep going from job to job,
never knowing how long a show would last and I’d
have to find another studio to work at (Austin has
a lot of film/television activity, but it’s still nothing
compared to LA or NYC). Now I work at a small
startup dealing with computer servers and I love
it. I still do freelance video work, but not like I did
when I first moved to Austin. That being said, video/
film still plays a huge role in my life and I think it
always will.
What kind of advantages does Pswingset have
with you having film editing experience?
It’s nice to be able to edit a video teaser or short
tour doc and not have to outsource it to anyone
else. We’re also planning on doing a music video
soon, so I’m sure my connections and knowledge
will help a little.
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Since you’ve done film editing, when you watch a
film do you notice the editing more than someone
who hasn’t been trained in editing? What are
some films do you think are perfectly edited?
I’m a huge fan of PT Anderson, The Cohen Brothers,
and David Lynch; but I think one of the best editors
was Sam O’ Steen (who did, I think, the best editing
in The Graduate). He also did Rosemary’s Baby,
Cool Hand Luke, and a lot of other really classic 70’s
cinema.
You’ve all been playing in bands since you were
teens and you are nearing or are in your 30’s now,
what keeps you playing and wanting to be in a
band?
Haha, I wish I knew and could turn that part off
sometimes. I think we all do. But it’s something we
all love and, personally, I couldn’t imagine not
making music. None of us care about money, so
when it’s time to tour or play shows we’re genuinely
doing this band as a hobby and, because of that,
I think it’s really pure that way. There’s no bullshit
about needing to pay rent using merch money or
anything like that; tours are vacations and it’s great.
Even though you guys put out great material, it
seems that Pswingset often gets overshadowed by
other bands on your label and in your scene, why
do you think that is?
We definitely are not the most sought after band
among our friends and peers. I think mostly that
it’s because we’re past the stage in our lives of
quitting our jobs and touring full-time. But also, we
play a style of music that, historically, was always
overshadowed and never really “cool”. How many
Tumblr posts do you see about No Knife or Shudder
To Think? Very few.
I wanted to ask you about the Kling Thing House in
Akron. What is the history of the house, what was
your involvement in it and how did you go about
setting up shows there?
I started It’s a Kling Thing after another house I ran,
The Furnace House. I started The Furnace House
after Adios broke up and I wasn’t touring or playing
with any bands and needed an outlet of some sort;
I’ve been booking since I was in high school so it
was natural. Kling Thing started 2 years after that; I
booked all shows, ran sound, etc.
For now the house is still there hosting shows,
how do you feel about the legacy that you helped
build there?
I’m very proud of what’s happened at that house
and the fact that more friends could move in when
we left and keep it going under the same pretenses.
I’m just as proud of that house’s legacy as I am of
any band I’ve been in.
You’ve also been running the Forget the Radio
blog for some time now, but you’ve recently
changed it from a blog to more of an online music
publication. What brought the change in coverage
on Forget the Radio and what are your plans for
the site?
It initially started as a download-blog for older
obscure indie/emo stuff but I found myself
constantly finding new bands and new things I
wanted to post that didn’t really fit into that. So I
switched it to more of a news blog where we post
the latest happenings of our scene and other things
we’re into. I say ‘we’ because there’s a couple other
friends who contribute sometimes.
Now that Pswingset has released a full-length,
what’s next, more new music, touring, etc...?
We’ll be touring after the new year, and of course
playing SXSW. We’ll also, hopefully, be writing
some new material to have for potential future
release(s).
27
28
Interviews with: Jordan Welker // Scott Moses
Photos: Jonathan Minto, Andrew Wells, David Gottas
29
What’s the history of the house and the story
behind it’s name?
Scott: Our friends Jordan, Kevin, and Dave moved
into Kling Thing in the summer(ish) of 2007. The
name, as the story goes, was named by the three
of them. I think it is just a coincidence that it shares
such a semblance to the band “It’s A King Thing”
Jordan: I ran a house before this, The Furnace
House, in Akron but it was a shithole and I didn’t
really live with anyone I was friends with (it was a
squatting situation, but they let me put on shows).
So after that lease ran up, I got out as fast as I could
and regrouped with friends. After another year of
living in an apartment and having to book at venues,
we decided we needed to be in a house and do a
house venue how we saw it should be done.
The name came from the original roommates (me,
Kevin, and Dave) always joking about that bullshit
bumper sticker Jeeps always have, “It’s a Jeep
Thing”. We just always thought that was such an
up-your-own-ass statement and, also, full of shit.
Who are the current residents of the house now
and why did you get involved in it?
Jordan: After the original 3 moved out, our friends
slowly took people’s places. When I moved in 2010,
Andee took my spot. When Kevin and Dave moved,
Corey and Scotty (from Annabel) moved in and took
their spots; of course, they all took over booking
duties.
Scott: The current residents are myself, Corey and
Andee. Andee has lived here the longest and Corey
and I moved in summer 2010. We had all been
coming to shows here and playing here (Corey and
I play in Annabel which is jokingly referred to as the
Kling house band, and Andee was in a band called
The Kids United) and so once the previous group
started to move out we each moved in one by one.
We all were interested in keeping the house up and
running and I think that was the major reason why
we decided to live here. I also am a student at the
University of Akron so naturally I wanted to live in a
place that allowed me to walk to class.
How many shows have been put on there?
Jordan: At this point, too many to count. There’s a
decent archive of fliers if you check the old Myspace
page and the current Facebook page. The house has
had shows for 5+ years now, with usually 2 or 3 per
month.
30
Scott: I’m not exactly sure on the number of shows,
but 120+ bands both local and touring have played
the basement and many of them have played more
than once or twice.
What has been your most memorable show there?
Jordan: My favorites were the Algernon Cadwallader
show, the Comadre show, and any of the shows
where Papermoons and/or Gamenight played.
Scott: That is an almost unanswerable question. For
me, seeing some of my best friends in Joie de Vivre
play and hearing so many people sing along to their
songs was one of my favorite Kling show memories
(people tend to stay surprisingly calm during sets in
the basement). Another one that is notable was the
time Annabel played right after I left the emergency
room. I was having crazy headaches all day and was
in the hospital until right before we played and one
of our friends named Thomas practically set up all
of my gear for me so that when I got there we just
started playing. Crazy times.
The Kling House has been around for 5 years
now, what has contributed to it’s success and
longevity?
Jordan: When we first started, decent crowds were
coming out but it was mostly just our friends for
the first year. After that, we really saw an increase
in people we didn’t know showing up, even from
out of town, based on fliers and what not. While I
was living there, we still did paper fliers along with
online and we constantly fliered in record stores,
bars, venues, and on campus. Also, being across
the street from a college doesn’t hurt.
Scott: The Kling has survived throughout the years
for a number of reasons. The main one being that
people still come to shows. We do have shows that
don’t have the best turnouts, but for the most part
there is still a very active interest in seeing bands
play at Kling. Secondly, our location is perfect for
house shows. More on that in the upcoming
questions I see.
Most house venues that I’ve come across have
always been very secretive of their location when
they have shows and when they aren’t they get
shut down quickly. The Kling Thing house is pretty
open about that information, so how has it
maintained a presence in the area for so long?
Jordan: I think actually being in the “college” neighborhood surrounding the college helps; the cops
have better things to do than bust up a show. There
are also bars that have dance parties right around
the corner, so the noise is never really an issue.
Along with a set of house rules, it seemed to help
deter any trouble that would’ve come our way.
31
Scott: We live right off of the University of Akron’s
campus, so our neighbors often have parties that
get much more wild than our shows. We have a
Facebook page as our main way of promoting our
shows. We do not really flier the city for shows in
an effort to keep unwanted attention away from the
house. When you have something like this online,
it is easier for people to access, but it is often only
people that are trying to get here or see shows here.
Our supposed presence is still mostly unknown to
much of the city of Akron unless you are part of the
specific music community that our house caters
to. I think the major reason why so many people
outside Akron know about Kling is because our
primary focus as a house is to help touring bands
and hard working local bands. So after booking
shows for touring bands for 5 years, word starts to
spread about the existence of a place like this.
What makes the house so appealing for bands to
play when they tour through Akron?
Jordan: We treat the bands like friends and respect
the reason they are there; to play to people and have
a good time. Many times when you show up to a
house show, the people putting it on are no where
to be found or would rather be upstairs or outside
smoking or drinking with friends than helping the
bands set up, watch them play, corral people.
32
We treated/treat the house like a real venue, there’s
a real PA, there’s music being played over the PA
while bands setup/tear down, there’s a load in door,
there are set times, there are areas for merch. It’s
just nice to show up to that kind of environment.
Scott: Akron is a hard place to cut your teeth as a
musician, and it can be even harder to find a good
place to play if you are on tour. That being said, the
house provides a place for a touring band to play
that can actually pay them a decent amount without
having to worry about paying out a sound guy or
door guy, etc. All money taken from the door at
every show goes to the bands, and that’s just how
it will always be. There is also the reputation of the
house as being a solid place to book a show, so that
brings a lot of interest in playing.
You guys are located practically next to the
University of Akron Campus, do you think being in
a college community has helped keep the Kling
Thing House going?
Jordan: It’s definitely helped get new people in the
door and add a built in community, of sorts. Even
if most people at the school don’t give a shit, the
campus itself is a great platform to flier and get the
word out.
Scott: Being in the campus community has been a
big help for the Kling because it means we are pretty
much left alone by the authorities. Our landlord lives
right across the street from us and knows and
supports the stuff that we do. The police have never
had a problem with us because we respect our
property and our neighborhood. There have been
countless times where our neighbors have caused
way more trouble than us, so I think that maybe
the police are aware that we do shows here, but
know that it has been happening for years without
a problem so they leave us alone. One time a police
officer actually offered up his services if any of our
gear came up missing, so that was pretty cool.
As far as the neighborhood goes though, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
really feed off or need the University I guess. A few
straggling freshmen have made their way to the
house from their dorms, and those people have
since came a long way and become good friends of
the roommates, but that has only happened a
handful of times. Most of the people that come to
shows here see from our online page that we are
having a show, etc.
What are some advantages/disadvantages of
being so close to the campus?
Jordan: Pros: people can walk everywhere,
including the house. Con: the shitheads walking
home from bars downtown.
Scott: Advantages: Noisy neighbors (it truly does
help a lot to have normal, college type neighbors),
tons of police and security (this may appear to be
a bad thing, but if we were to ever get robbed we
have hella police patrolling our neighborhood. And
they have never bothered us, but that is definitely
not the case of the police in every city, so play it by
ear). Lots of places to hang out after the show since
we are so close to downtown (and by places I mean
bars, I think another part of our reputation is being
a place where the bands will ALWAYS have a good
time).
Honestly. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never felt that there were any
disadvantages, but there have been times where
some weird college people have came to shows
and tried to mosh and be drunk assholes. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
really bother us though, we just tell them to calm
down and be cool to everyone and it works out.
33
Are most visitors respectful of the House and have
you ever had any problems from people stealing,
damaging things or causing a ruckus?
Jordan: There’s been some broken items, usually
the house itself, but nothing too crazy. Some vomit,
some spilled beer, the normal things.
Scott: There have been a few instances of people
getting out of control, but on the whole everyone
that comes over for a show is usually very
respectful of the place. Sometimes minor gear
like cables or something come up missing, but
those are usually (hopefully) honest mistakes by
the bands themselves. Things have been damaged
at our house, but mostly it has been either after
a show or on a normal drinking night. Shows are
actually some of the calmest times at Kling, believe
it or not, but we have had some really great nights
of destruction with our local friends.
There were some rumors going around for a while
that the House could be closing in the future,
what’s the current status of the house and how
long do you plan on putting on shows there?
Jordan: These rumors were around since, I think,
the first year of us living there; the college wants to
buy up a lot of the houses in the surrounding
neighborhoods to build super-complexes of
apartments. It’s been going for 5+ years, so that
shows you how slow the college works at it.
34
And even if they did buy it today, it would still take
probably 2+ years before the house was actually
vacated/demolished/etc. It’s really up to the landlord
and, with that kind of money being waived in their
faces, I doubt they’d turn it down any longer.
Scott: As far as I know, the three of us will not be
renewing the lease once July comes around.
Originally, our landlord had us sign into a lease last
year because there was a lot of talk about some
major investors coming in to buy up the entire
neighborhood. Since we are on a prime lot right
across from campus, he wanted to make sure we
would be good to stay for the whole year. Now,
months later, we haven’t heard much about any of
the said investors. But I think all three of us have
some other plans that we want to pursue instead of
continuing our stay on at Kling.
This is not an official statement by any means,
because things can and do change. If investors end
up not buying up the block then there is a good
possibility that we could find friends that want
to continue the process of Kling shows, but the
roomies and I have invested a lot of time and energy
into keeping the place afloat, oftentimes at the
detriment of our personal/working/studying lives,
so sometimes it is just best to end things on a final,
epic note.
36
What kind of advice can you give others who want
to turn their house into a venue like the Kling
Thing House?
Jordan: Be honest, be real, and do it because you
respect the bands and the music; not because
you want to have parties. House shows are, first
and foremost, shows. The party only takes place
when everything works out and people can enjoy
themselves.
Scott: Work hard to build the community in your
town/city/whatever. If there aren’t people willing to
come out to shows, then do as much as possible to
change that. Take some time to learn the nuances
of your specific neighborhood. I’ve spent enough
time on the road to have had the chance to play a
lot of different kinds of houses, so there isn’t one
particular success formula. Find out what works
for your house and stick with it. Some people don’t
allow drinking and some do. Have a nice PA system.
We’ve always kind of prided ourselves on having
better-than-normal sound for a house, and that’s
important because it makes the bands happy.
Always collect money. Whether you decide to run
off donations or set $5 for shows or whatever,
ALWAYS COLLECT MONEY. The reason your house
exists is to help bands do what they do, so don’t
forget that. If you want to just have a party house
and not worry about hounding people for money,
then have a party house not a show house (there
is a big difference). Other than that, just be patient
with it and have a blast. It seems a little weird to
actually sit down and do an interview about our
house because it puts a more serious spin on it than
I ever put into living there. I have had an amazing
time being a part of it though.
It’s a
Kling Thing!
37
Interviews with: John Bradley // Scott Scharinger Photos: Nicole Kibert
38
39
Dads started out as a side-project from your other
bands you were in at the time. How did it evolve
into what it is today?
John: The other bands we were in weren’t as able
to move as quickly as Dads was, even from the
beginning. My other main band was only able to
work well during the school semester when we
all lived together at college, then the second other
main band I was in that wasn’t Dads was just super
dysfunctional and didn’t really work well ever at all.
With Dads it all came natural, even from the beginning first weekeneders. We knew we wanted to play
shows and tours and by this point Scott and I had
been in so many “lesson learning” bands that we
knew how to do it and how to be smart about it.
Scott: The summer that John and I started playing
together was the summer that the drummer from
my old band and I stopped being as close, so that
band sort of just fizzled out at the end of that
40
summer and Dads kept doing stuff. I always
originally viewed Dads as just a side band and it’s
kind of a shock to me that now we are where we’re
at as a band and friends.
I remember getting an email from Scott back in
April of 2011 about the first Brush Your Teeth EP
and in that short time till now it seems like you
guys have gained some popularity and quite a
following. What would you contribute your
success to up to this point?
John: We love to tour, we love playing shows and
meeting new people, the more you tour the more
you are getting your name out there in cities where
people might not have ever heard of you before.
Also we’re both really internet savvy and are able to
use social media to pump out some energy.
Scott: Touring is definitely a huge thing that helps.
We try to tour as much as we can and since 2012,
the only times we have not been touring is when we
purposely took time off to write and record and then
while we were waiting for the record to come out all
summer. We constantly try to keep stuff
happening on our internet sites, which I think helps
a lot. We try to be very open and friendly and
hopefully people think of us more as “those goofy
dudes in Dads that I could drink a beer/soda with”
rather than “some band I like that are kind of distant
and unapproachable.”
Did having the increased popularity put any stress
on you when writing and recording American
Radass (This Is Important)?
John: Honestly, I don’t really register the “Facebook
likes” or the amount of followers we have on what
social media network or anything like that. I am
completely grateful for everyone that supports what
we are doing and I can’t thank them all enough,
but it hasn’t hit a point yet (and hopefully it won’t)
where I’m like “fuck I hope they like this” or “ugh
what if this doesn’t fly with the fan base” because
these generous people love us for what we’re doing,
so if we keep staying true to what we are doing,
they will hopefully keep loving it. And at the end of
the day we are making music and art that we want
to hear and see made, and we are extremely thrilled
that people want to be a part of the ride!
Scott: Our song writing process is incredibly laid
back and easy for us, so we weren’t too concerned
with “Oh man, I hope people like this part” or “We
need to make sure to have a whatever part here!”
We just write what we like and we are extremely
grateful that other people like it too!
How was your experience in the studio recording
American Radass? Were all the songs written
before going into the studio or were any written in
the studio?
John: This was actually my first time ever being
in a real studio for recording and I was nervous
beforehand that my inexperience would mess stuff
up or I’d get too nervous and keep flubbing, but our
producer, Ryan Stack, was the nicest, most easy
going, laid back person ever. He listened to
everything we wanted to do, connected with us as
friends and as an extra member of this band and
just pushed us everywhere we needed to go without
changing anything. It was actually one of the most
comfortable things I’ve ever done once the ocean
started getting wavey. And all of the songs were
written prior to going into the studio. Hopefully
soon we’ll be Paramore status where we can buy
out the studio for a month just to write a song.
Scott: I think we’re both pretty much on the same
page that we’ll only record with Ryan from now
on, until Hayley Williams wants to produce us or
something. It was an amazing experience and much
better than any past studio experience I’ve had. We
definitely recommend him to anyone of any genre
or style!
One of the songs on American Radass that has
been getting the most attention is the nearly 7
minute “Shit Twins”. When writing that song, did
you ever expect it to as popular as it has become?
John: We wanted to make a record that didn’t fall
under 30 minutes/feel like a breeze. We started
jamming out what would eventually become “Shit
Twins” and the intention was to have more of an
instrumental/atmospheric track, we talked about
throwing down some vocal tracks but it would be a
lot of harmonies and not really focusing on actual
lyrics, kinda like the beginning of “Dan’s D’Angelo
Impersonation”. Then we just kept going with it and
I pulled out the beginning lines, which we had been
trying to fit into a Dads song for a WHILE now, and
I started humming that along, we just kept working
it out until we realized we had, for lack of a better
Metallica reference, some kind of monster on our
hands. I wasn’t entirely sure that it would be the
focal point on the album like a lot of the reviews
are claiming it, but I’m cool with that! That song is
super personal and means a whole lot to me, so it’s
cool that people enjoy it!
Scott: When we were writing it, we were worried
that people may skip this song on the record, but it
turned out to be a huge favorite, which is awesome!
We’ve gotten a lot of messages to us about how this
song really affects them or got them through hard
times, it’s really awesome and one of the best things
to hear.
There’s been quite a few people saying that
American Radass has helped them through some
tough times. How you do you feel about your
music having a positive impact on people and
what songs or albums have gotten you through a
rough patch in your lives?
John: These are songs that we wrote to help us get
through a lot of shit, some of the tracks are still
helping us currently get through shit, so I’m always
amazed when people say that anything I’ve done
has helped them through any of their problems. I’m
41
all in all glad something we did in my parents’
basement with just the two of us pouring our shit
out (no pun intended LOL). There have been sooo
many records that helped me through major shit, I
can’t help but pick Born To Run as the main healer.
Scott: Personally speaking, we wrote this record in
a majorly rough time of my life. Getting out some of
the shitty stuff definitely helped me with stuff and I
hope that translates into the record. We have a kind
of “write about the present, not the past” mentality
and so everything you hear in the lyrics are things
that were affecting as us as we wrote them. Bands
like Bright Eyes, The Good Life, Voxtrot, Meneguar,
and Teenage Cool Kids are bands that I usually turn
to when I’m feeling down.
American Radass (This Is Important) was released
by Flannel Gurl records, what interested you
in working with them and were there any other
labels you had considered?
John: We were communicating with a couple
different people about the possibilities of releasing
it on their label, but Flannel Gurl seemed like the
home for this album, a label that could spend their
time treating this like their baby and put it out as
soon as possible, instead of throwing it on a
calendar where even after it was complete it might
sit for months and we’d have to wait even longer
for it to be released. Also Jon and Kimmi are both
amazing sweethearts that have done nothing but
welcome us in with open arms and make us feel
entirely comfortable and loved, we couldn’t thank
them enough for helping us with all of this.
You recorded bass on the record and have had
Derek from The World Is... playing bass at some
live shows, will anyone be filling in on bass on the
upcoming tour you’re going on?
John: Nope, it’ll be just the two of us. We tried
asking Derrick to fill in as much as possible but I
don’t know, he keeps talking about some band he’s
in that just has a weird name and all they do is talk
about hot dogs and housing structures.
Scott: I wish Derrick could come, I miss him
already.
Would you ever consider bringing in a third
member to play bass full-time or are you happy
to remain a two-piece? What are the advantages/
disadvantages to being a two-piece?
John: As easy as it seems to have someone just
learn the bass parts, there is so much more to it.
We need someone who gets our aesthetic, who
enhances our live shows, who we can trust entirely
with everything. Scott and I do a lot of goofing
off during the sets, in and out of songs, and we
need someone who can hang with us on that and
not get lost at all. Derrick has been so far the only
person we can imagine playing bass for us and
still bringing extra stuff to the table. Advantages of
being a two-piece are that it’s easier to tour (less
people you have to worry about eating and sleeping,
smaller van needed) and we can each handle half
of the work load of being in this band, so there
isn’t one person who just plain isn’t working or one
person who is working way harder than the other.
Disadvantages are little things like it’s hard to get
one of us to run straight to selling merch after our
set cause we have to move all the gear, and when
you’re walking into a truck stop as just a two-piece
band, the locals don’t get “oh yeah, they’re just
young dudes, probably in a band” instead they just
see two tattooed shaggy haired dudes that dress
similarly and then everyone gives us weird looks.
Scott: John and I also just get along together so
easily where if it’s just the two of us, it’s very easy
to tour for long periods of time. It’s also more weird
when we roll up to shows as just us, rather than in a
big group of people.
One of the cool things I read about you guys was
the closeness you maintain while on tour. While
other bands with more members may hide out
under their headphones on the road, you two are
usually interacting in someway or another while
driving between shows. Besides playing in the
band together, you also live together outside of
the band, what makes it easy for you two to work
and live together?
John: We just “get” each other and are constantly
on the same page. We know how we both work, we
know if we need alone time, we know if we need to
hang, we just luckily connect entirely.
Scott: Being on tour in a van for 2-8 hours a day
for days on end is way to become ridiculously close
with someone. When you isolate yourself with
headphones or something, you lose that intimacy of
listening to R. Kelly for 4 hours straight with your
best friend/s.
43
The “Bakefest at Piffanys” contest you held where
people submitted videos of themselves downing
as much beer/soda as they could while the song
played was a hilarious idea. How many entries
did you end up with and what percentage of
entrants puked? How does it feel to have people
puking to your songs?
John: I wanna say we got like 15-20 or so maybe?
A good portion of the people puked, which was kind
of cool because a lot of people were trying to be
overly macho and act like we were wussies for what
we got down, but then they saw it wasn’t easy.
Scott: I think there was maybe 2 or 3 people who
were actually able to drink more than us, which was
funny to see. Not many people in bands can say
people voluntarily drank until they threw up to their
music and filmed it.
I’ve had a hard time describing your music to
others, besides going to the standby term of
“Twinkly”. Is there a better term to describe you
music other than “Twinkly”?
John: You can just call us PRETTY GOOD.
Scott: I tell people we’re just emo/punk and tell
normal weirdos who wouldn’t “get it” that we’re
somewhere in between indie and punk.
The scene you’re currently in is constantly
growing with tons of great bands contributing to it.
What can be done to keep the scene growing and
what bands are some of your favorites?
John: Keep everyone friendly and nice.
Scott: If you run shows, you rule. Keep it going,
44
keep booking awesome bands, make sure people
are respectful to the space and bands, make sure
people are donating and buying merch from the
touring bands. Keep hate speech and stupid actions
out of “punk”, there’s no place for that anymore,
but especially not in our music scene. Don’t treat
lead singers of emo bands like some sort of golden
god, they’re just regular ass people like everyone
else! We’re really fortunate that most of our favorite
current bands, we’re really great friends with them!
Bands like: The World Is A Beautiful Place, Dikembe,
Wavelets, You Blew It, Osier Bed, Send Away
Stranger, Empire! Empire!, Souvenirs, Slingshot
Dakota, The Reptilian, Glocca Morra, Monument,
and tons more. I’m probably forgetting a ton of
great bands, sorry y’all!
Scott, you said something in an another interview
about if you could change the industry, you would
eliminate Kickstarter from ever existing. Can you
expand on your opinion of the service and how
do you feel about those bands that have made
hundreds of thousands of dollars from it?
Scott: Before I say anything, let me just say that my
feelings on Kickstarter have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
to do with the bands who have used them before.
In fact, I’ve seen good positive uses of Kickstarter,
although none of them have been musical. Before
2011, every other band in the world who had put
out music, recorded, toured, bought a van, or paid
for merch somehow did it. They put in more hours
at their job or got a second job, sold stuff, saved up,
whatever. Asking for your fans to put up the initial
money makes it seem like you’re not confident
enough in what you’re doing to actually put up the
work ahead of time. If you’re not willing to put up
the money and work for your project, why should
anyone else? I also feel terrible for people who
donate money to bands to go on tour and then the
bands break up right after. I understand that the
supporters get their money back, but it just seems
really shitty for the band to not follow through. Once
again, I am not talking bad about any bands
personally or in particular or at all, just things I’ve
noticed that have happened. It’s all ridiculous to
me when I see self-proclaimed DIY bands who use
Kickstarter. We’ve been lucky enough that the more
we play shows and tour, the more we’re able to play
shows and tour. That’s how we “fundraise” for what
we want to do. If music/your art is something you
really want to do, you may have to make sacrifices
and put up some of your personal money up front
to get what you want in the end.
John, your the drummer but also sing many of the
songs, who would you say had a bigger influence
on your drumming/singing abilities Phil Collins
(Genesis) or Bob Nanna (Friction)?
John: Honestly, Dads is the first band I’ve played
drums in. I’ve been playing drums for years but
never as a drummer. When we first started this band
we wanted everyone to get a chance at singing, so it
just so happened that in Dads I was drumming and
singing, but I never (unfortunately for this question)
grew up looking at drummers that sang and trying
to become them. If anything, I think the first time
I noticed drummers doing a lot of the singing was
back in my Ferret metalcore days when the drummers (like From Autumn To Ashes and Atreyu) were
the ones doing all of the softer singing while also
drumming.
You’re about to start a 2.5 month tour in a few
days, what preparations have you made for the
long journey and what kind of expectations do you
have for the tour?
John: We are more or less leaving everything
behind and touring for the rest of 2012 which is
20% nerve racking and 80% fuck off this is what
I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid so now I’m
doing it. If I can quote a poet to explain where I’d
like this tour to take us, “this ain’t the life that I’m
used to, reintroduced to people I’ve been introduced
to, did you forget me? Or are you too scared to tell
me that you met me and fear that I won’t remember,
I wish you could still accept me for me.” (Looking
back on that, it doesn’t really explain what I was
hoping it would, I thought the line was “this IS the
life that I’m used to, but alas, I was wrong.)
Scott: My preparations so far have been listening to
a lot of Conor Oberst bands and not packing up
everything in my room like I need to, since our
lease is up for our apartment the day before tour.
It’s working out pretty well! We’re both extremely
excited and I expect to be sick, drunk, hungover,
sleep deprived, miserable, and have the best time of
my life with my best friend doing what I love doing.
Thanks for reading everyone!
45
Everyone Everywhere Euro Tour
Aug-Sept 2012 with Chalk Talk
Words: Brendan McHugh Live Photos: Michael Lambert
How did this Euro tour with Chalk Talk come
about?
Guillaume, who runs Back From Outer Space Bookings, sent us an email somewhat out of the blue
sometime around September of 2011, I believe. He
asked if we wanted to tour Europe in March of 2012
and we said “Sounds great, sure, thanks for asking, maybe later in the year?” We ended up going
back and forth for a long time about when it could
happen, trying to coordinate our work schedules
so we could all get time off from work to actually
do the tour. Eventually we settled on August, which
Guillaume was less than thrilled about, as most of
Europe is on holiday in August, but he managed to
book an excellent tour regardless.
How did you prepare for the month long European
Tour?
We all ordered matching travel sleeping bags from
Amazon.com and ordered appropriate adapters to
be able to charge our cell phones. We don’t tour
often in the States, even, so it was a bit of a process
trying to prepare for the tour. We stocked up on
strings and drum sticks, and we scrambled at the
last minute to get some merch made for when we
got to Europe.
Did you bring any instruments with you or was
everything backlined?
We brought our guitars with us, and we brought a
snare drum and cymbals.
You played a few shows in some countries that
don’t often get toured like Ukraine and Hungary,
what was it like playing in those countries and
how were the shows?
We actually didn’t end up playing at any shows
in Ukraine, which is sort of a long story. We had
two shows scheduled there, and our first show in
L’viv was a bit of a disaster. We got held up at the
border to Ukraine for about 5 hours, and shortly
after crossing the border we were pulled over by the
police for no particular reason. We arrived a bit late
to the show. There were hardly any people there for
the show, and the promoter told us that because we
were late, the show was canceled (we arrived only
10 minutes after the time Chalk Talk was scheduled
to play), then they told us only Chalk Talk could play
because there wasn’t enough time. After the show
things got weirder, nothing ever seemed right, the
accommodations sort of freaked us all out.
Additionally it seemed we weren’t going to be
getting any of the money we were supposed to
get for the show. The promoter repeatedly tried to
placate us with the prospect of young women and
drugs, which backfired and served only to further
unsettle us. We ended up leaving Ukraine early,
47
driving through the night to get to Budapest the next day, where we were greeted with open arms by a friend
of the promoterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Budapest. We were all happy to have had a full day and a half to be tourists in Budapest,
which, after seeing something like 30 different cities in Europe, still ranks as one of my favorite European
cities. Hungary was a fantastic time and the show in Budapest was great, the crowd was energetic and the
venue was a lot of fun.
Overall, how did the shows go in all the countries? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
they well attended and were the crowds receptive?
The shows were really good for the most part. Neither us
nor Chalk Talk had ever been to Europe before, so for a first
European tour for both bands it was pretty successful. Some
were obviously better than others. We had great shows and
terrible shows, but our expectations were relatively low
going into every show, so any response or turnout was
gratifying.
Looking at the tour schedule, in some cases you were
in a different country every other day, how did you get
around from show to show and how does it compare to
touring in the US?
We had a driver in Europe, which was really nice. Our
driver, Rafael, became a good friend. He was a skilled
driver tour guide, which was invaluable when doing
so much movement between countries and regions.
Most of the border crossings were completely open,
so going from Hungary to Italy to France is not much
different than going from Pennsylvania to New York
to Massachusetts, though there are no language
changes in the States.
48
With such a tight schedule, did you have anytime to
do any sightseeing or touristy stuff? If so, what were
some places you visited to sight-see?
We tried to sightsee whenever possible. It was always
a challenge as the drives were long and playing
shows actually takes up like, 8 hours of your day
when you factor in load-in, sound check, and load
out. Some of us went for walks after sound check
if we didn’t get to the city early enough to wander
around before load-in. We had a good amount of
time to sightsee in Paris, Budapest, Prague, and
London. We detoured by about 40 minutes to see
the Coliseum in Rome, we saw the Eiffel Tower, we
detoured to Stonehenge while in the UK, we got to
swim in the Mediterranean in Sant Feliu. Lots of
silly tourist stuff that ended up being really easy,
brainless activity that worked as a perfect
distraction from non-stop tour stuff.
Was it exhausting at all to play so many shows,
in so many different places in that short amount
of time?
Yes. It was somewhat exhausting. We’re not used to touring. The schedule was hectic, and
the actual process of playing a show is so long and annoying, it definitely wears on you. You get to enjoy
yourself thoroughly for the 30-45 minutes you play each night, and it makes the ordeal worthwhile, but there
is a major element of fatigue.
What were some of the highlights of the tour for you and alternatively what were some of the low points?
Days off sightseeing in Budapest, London, and Paris were great. Hanging out on the beach with Chalk Talk
after our show in Sant Feliu was a lot of fun. Low points were frankly few and far between, as anything that
was a true low point just became an experience the nine of us in the van all bonded over after we had gotten
over it. The Ukraine experience was unfortunately a low point, no knock on Ukraine, I think the promoter was
just a little wacky.
At the same time as your tour, Evan from Into It. Over It.
was touring the same area. What’s it like being so far
away from home and running into people you know?
That was great! We’ve known Evan for like, 8 or 9 years
now, playing shows in the suburbs of Philadelphia when
we were all teenagers. It was a really great surprise
crossing paths with him on the tour, and we ended up
playing back to back sets at a festival in Bristol. That’s the
only time that happened, I think, but it was really cool.
If given the chance to do another Euro tour, what
countries would you want to tour that you didn’t tour
this time around?
We missed Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands. I’d
love to see all of them. We didn’t get to West Germany,
which is a bummer. Portugal is a must-visit for our next
trip to Europe. Maybe before Portugal we can take a
ferry to Morocco and play a show there. It could be a
while before we get to do another European tour, so we
will plan it out very strategically next time. Hopefully
we’re able to simultaneously get time off work again so
we can visit again soon.
49
50
51
Erik posted something last December about
“starting a new band with my buddies” called
Kittyhawk, what happened in the last year that
brought you to this point?
Erik: Well, Kittyhawk started back in December
2011 with Mark, Evan, and myself in the Gnarnia
garage after a Christmas party at Hipster House in
Rockford, IL (#RIP). Mark, Delia (Dowsing), and
I were discussing how cool it would be to start a
Rainer Maria worship band. Sorry Delia, we asked
Kate.
Mark mentioned in another interview that this
band happened by happenstance, briefly explain
the formation of Kittyhawk?
Mark: That was the happenstance. Erik sucks. We
took a really really really long to record demos. I
thought the band was never going to be a band.
#erikstillsucks
Combined you all play in numerous bands, how is
Kittyhawk different from your other bands? How do
you juggle all the musical projects you’re in?
Erik: This is honestly my most collaborative band.
We all need to quit at least one band (especially
Kate).
52
Kate: COME ON (I do part-time vocals with Into it.
Over it. PART TIME)!
Mark: No, but really...Kate needs to quit a band too.
We have a lot of bands that take up various amounts
of time. Luckily, we haven’t had many touring /
recording / whatever problems, and hopefully it’ll
remain that way!
The name of the band comes from Kitty Hawk,
NC, the site frequently cited as the location of the
Wright brothers’ first controlled, powered airplane
flights, but the flights actually occurred in Kill
Devil Hills, NC. Any chance you’d change your
name to Kill Devil Hills?
Kate: When we decided on the name, we were
drawn to the theme of aviation and happened to like
the way “Kittyhawk” sounds. We toyed with
“Kittyhawk, NC” for a minute. There are a couple
of other Kittyhawks though. The 70’s prog band, a
“spazz rock” band from New Zealand (Hobbit
worshipers for sure). In time they will be eliminated.
Evan: Yahtzee!
Erik: What about “The Devil Dawgzzz”? I would love
to be called The Devil Dawgzzz.
Mark: Honestly, me too.
You released your EP for
free via Bandcamp last
month, were you surprised
by how many people
downloaded the EP in such a
short amount of time and by
how well it was received?
Kate: We’re so stoked about
it! Big up’s to everyone
who has said such friendly
things. We wanna get in a big
snuggle pile with everyone
and eat burritos together.
Erik: The internet is too kind.
You started writing the
songs for this EP soon after
the band started a while
ago, how does it feel to
finally have them finished
and released?
Erik: It feels awesome. I know
that Mark and I had some of
these songs cooped up in
us for a bit, but didn’t have
the right band to work them
out with. We’ve been writing a ton recently and are
super excited about the next few months.
Kate: Some of us have also been finishing up
school, which is its own battle. It was a little bit
of a struggle getting together for the first couple
months, but once we got rolling, we really picked up
momentum pretty quickly.
I know this is a pretty generic question, but with
everyone being busy in other bands, how does
the songwriting come together in Kittyhawk? Do
certain people handle the music while others
handle the lyrics?
Erik: Mark and I generally meet up once or twice a
week to drink beers and write songs...mostly we
drink beers. Lately, we’ve written for an LP and
a split that will be announced soon. Mark and I
usually write the song structures, while Kate holds
down the lyrical content.
Mark: Evan has also helped before with figuring
out the right chords for certain songs. He helped
me out with “The First One” in the early stages of
writing and he is literally the best dude I know for
writing vocal harmonies. The dude is all over the
place.
One of the most interesting songs on the EP is the
“instrumental” song “Science Fiction”, what’s the
story behind the sound sample of the girl and her
dad in that song?
Kate: That’s my dad and me! I’ve always wanted to
use those recordings for something. We made tons
of those tapes when I was small with this little Sony
tape recorder. It was the only way to get me to sit
down. Best dad.
You’ve got the EP coming out on cassette via
Skeletal Lightning soon, why did you decide to
release it on cassette and are there any plans for
a vinyl version?
Mark: Sean, of Skeletal Lightning fame, came to us
and asked if we had any plans to put the EP out. We
were really excited to have a physical release and
with Tawny Peaks already in tow, we thought it’d be
great to work with SL. Personally, I think cassettes
have a quaint appeal to them. A lot of my friends are
driving their parents cars that have those old
cassette decks, and if you have a nice supply of
tapes, why not use those? We are super excited for
how the cassette designs came out as well! As far
as vinyl...you’ll have to wait. There are plans, but
we’re gonna hold off on talking about it for the time
being.
Evan: Yahtzee!
You mentioned that you’re currently working on
your full-length, how is it coming together so
far and do you have any release dates set or any
labels interested in releasing it?
Erik: Right now it looks like we have a split coming
out in the spring and an LP coming out in the
fall. There is a label, but we can’t disclose that
information just yet. We are pumped though! We
have about ten new songs in various stages at the
moment.
Since Kate is a costume designer, have you ever
thought of having her make some sweet costumes
for shows?
Kate: Ha! I wish. Maybe each show can be a
different theme. We’ve been calling Evan “E-lor,” so
I think there’s some room to play with that.
And E-lor can be anything really.
Mark: I just wanna look like KISS.
53
Scrnd:
Daniel Hawkins
Austin, TX
My name is Daniel Hawkins and I am a musician and graphic
designer living in Austin, TX. Playing in several bands allows
me the opportunity to center much of my work around
music. Designing show posters and album artwork / layouts
is one of my favorite things, whether it be for my own bands (Pswingset or Papermoons) or for other friends
bands. It’s a fun juxtaposition to my day job which is working as a visual designer at an advertising agency
here in town. Two totally different worlds, but it’s all the same really; we’re all trying to sell something: a
T-shirt, a record, getting people to come to a show or perhaps even just a bag of cat food.
So with my poster work, what I always attempt to do is to create a poster that I think does 2 things.
First off, it has to catch the attention of people Immediately. With posters, you have like 5 seconds to grab
someone’s attention before they walk past it or notice the one next to it instead. Secondly, it’s important
that my posters reach out to the folks who I think are interested in the bands playing, or the general type of
music that is being advertised. A shitty show poster to me says “don’t come to this show, it’s going to suck
and the bands playing don’t care enough to have a good poster that truly represents their music and art”
This being said, let me walk you through my design process for these posters.
I still have some prints of most of these posters, if anyone is interested just email me at
danielphawkins@gmail.com or visit www.danielpaulhawkins.com
54
Native
So this poster is obviously for the band NATIVE, for one of
their many stops here in Austin. Anyone who knows their
music and their band knows they are gear dudes. (I believe
Dan, even makes custom speaker cabinets that look
amazing.) They sound killer live and have very unique gear.
Most kids who are into NATIVE, are also gear heads. So I
thought what better illustration to put on a poster for them,
then to more or less graphically re-create their back line.
Any person who has seen them play, would immediately
recognize it. Just a fun and simple way to reach out to the
people who are fans of the band. Due to the colors and
textures used in this design, I don’t think the poster would
have worked well as a screen printed piece. Or I should
say it would have required more then a handful of colors
and just wouldn’t have been cost effective. So these exist
as high-quality digital prints on heavy matt finish stock.
Murder By Death
Whenever I think of Murder By Death, images of otherworldly, vaudevillian Edgar Allen Poe characters come to
mind. So I wanted to create a simple illustration of one of
these creatures or characters that for some reason I see
existing in this world where Murder By Death’s music is
the soundtrack. This paired with some simple but classy
type treatment really worked out well and made for a fun
poster. These were printed on a cardboard stock with two
colors.
55
The Jealous Sound
One of my favorite bands and buddies of mine. I didn’t
have much time to work on this, as Pswingset had just
returned from a trip to record in Denver less then a month
before this show. So I took a few lines from two of my
favorite songs on Kill Them With Kindness and used these
to illustrate the poster. Lyrics from “Anxious Arms” and
“Above The Waves” provided some strong imagery that
most people who listen to The Jealous Sound would
recognize or at least be struck by. The majority of that
album deals with drug abuse and is at points
emotionally overwhelming lyrically. I hope I did this
justice in my design.
The Felix Culpa
Former Thieves
So this poster was for a great party during
SXSW in 2011, and by the day of the show
actually ended up featuring Into It. Over It.
as well. It’s hard for me to design posters
with more then a few bands and especially
of such varying genres, so I decided to just
make something fun and weird. When we
printed these, I had to get creative with our
stock and color choices, to keep the colors
to a minimum, so we ended up printing them
on a light brown recycled stock and then
interchanging the background colors, so we
did about 25 with a light orange and 30 with
a light blue. The black pieces we ended up
creating a deep dark metallic gray color that
sort of shimmered when light cast on it, they
came out really well I think.
56
Pswingset
This poster was for a summer tour we went on with our
great buddies, Football, etc. Who are a great band and
wonderful group of people. Anyone who has been on a
DIY tour knows that it’s always a journey into the
unknown when you’re playing in basements and barns
and living rooms. You just don’t know what’s going to
happen and these are things and experiences that really
make bands who they are and really make this music
scene that we’re all apart of something special. So
thinking about bands growing throughout these experiences, (specifically Pswingset, which began in a basement
in Akron, Ohio two years before I joined) really informed
the design for this poster. I wanted to create something
that told a little story about what was going on, and hopefully the kids who came out to those shows and grabbed
a poster or a record felt apart of that and can see that in
this poster. These were printed in two colors on a heavy
bright-white stock.
Our guitarist Joel, his girlfriend Cary has helped me with
most all of my printing, she is an excellent printmaker
here in Austin and her work can be found at
www.carolynhulbert.com
57
This icon denotes an album that has been
made available by the band free of charge or
for a donation. Links are on page 74.
Accents
Growth and Squalor
Helmed by singer/songwriter TJ Foster, Accents is a
indie-rock group that ranges from Hanalei like
singing to Matt Nathanson like anthems. The
standout track, “The Fog”, could easily find its way
onto FM radio or in the background of network
television with its memorable hook and catchy
melody. Growth and Squalor might be too
commercial sounding for teens in the indie rock
crowd, but just commercial enough to gain a
following with their parents. (Deep Elm Records)
The Album Leaf
Forward/Return
The latest EP from Jimmy LaValle as The Album
Leaf is as interesting as anything else he’s done
if not better. LaValle is truly a master at this craft,
as evidenced by his music being used in many TV
shows and films. Forward/Return sets a mood with
each song and takes the listener on a small journey
5 minutes at a time. Any fan of LaValles other bands
or instrumental music will surely enjoy this release.
(Self-Released)
The Ambulars
Dreamers Asleep at the Wheel
Right out the gate, Dreamers Asleep at the Wheel
knocks you on your ass with their perfect power
pop/indie rock hybrid. Every song on this album is
catchy as hell and just makes you feel good. I’m a
sucker for bands with alternating/intermixing male/
female vocals and The Ambulars utilize this well
by not having the vocals step on each others toes.
(Salinas Records)
58
Anchors
Lost At The Bottom Of The World
This Melbourne, Australia band has been
taking cues from East Coast punk bands like Strike
Anywhere, The Loved Ones and the like. Lost At The
Bottom Of The World is quite good and reinvigorates my interest in punk rock, something that has
been waning the last few years. The more I listen to
this album, the more impressed I am with it.
(Creator-Destructor Records)
Annabel
Youth in Youth
Not since Weezer’s “Only In Dreams” has a band
ended an album so perfectly. Ending with “Our Days
Were Numbered” from their latest album, Youth
In Youth, Annabel has easily one upped “Only In
Dreams” melancholy, and did so with three minutes
to spare. It is truly an amazing song and that alone
is reason enough to buy this album. Fortunately,
you get ten more nearly as amazing songs with
it. Youth In Youth is Weezer’s Blue album for the
current generation of awkward teens and wallflower
college kids. (Count Your Lucky Stars)
Arrows/Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)
Split 7”
This being my first introduction to Australia’s
Arrows, I was quite impressed with their
contribution to this split. It had a slow opening with
a buildup and explosion of guitars towards the end.
Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) contribute
2 songs to this split and like the many other shorter
songs they’ve been releasing lately, they rule. You
can definitely tell their songwriting has been honed
with all these onesie twosie splits they’ve been
doing. (Count Your Lucky Stars)
Athletics
Stop Torturing Yourself
Stop Torturing Yourself features 4 tracks off of
Athletics’ Why Aren’t I Home? reworked as piano
ballads. This might sound like a total bore, but the
all piano and voice tracks are actually done really
well and really convey the despair of the songs that
wasn’t fully achieved on the original versions.
(Deep Elm)
Autumn Owls
Between Buildings, Toward The Sea
Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, Between Buildings,
Toward The Sea is Autumn Owls’s first full-length.
They have already garnered some attention in the
U.S. and overseas with a couple of EPs and shows
at SXSW and CMJ. They walk towards the line of
post-rock and math-rock but venture off with dark
indie melodies. They definitely know how to hold the
listener’s attention. The songs kind of weave around
these bends and around every turn something pops
out at you, something new to hear, and you just let
the music take you for a ride until it ends.
(Epitonic)
Basement
Colourmeinkindness
As this album being Basement’s swan song, they
really let loose with Colourmeinkindess. Having not
paid much attention to this band in the past, I’m
hopping on the bandwagon for a stint to let you
know that there is still room. I sort of feel like a dolt
for not exploring their music sooner, because I’m
already hooked and the second song on the album
hasn’t even finished yet. The last time I fell this hard
for a band from the UK, it was 1996 and Bush had
just released Razorblade Suitcase. Had Colourmeinkindness been released in the 90’s, I’m sure it
would’ve topped Bush on the charts for sure.
(Run For Cover Records)
Beware of Darkness
Howl
Beware of Darkness has a bluesy classic sound that
seems manufactured for the limelight. Big guitars
and an anthemic sound lay the foundation for each
of this EPs four songs, while the vocals wail up and
down. (Bright Antenna Records)
Big Awesome
Birdfeeder
The first two songs on Birdfeeder are like a mash up
of Grown Ups and Algernon Cadwallader with some
Cap’n Jazz influences sprinkled on top. The last two
songs have a more punk feel similar to The
Menzingers. With Birdfeeder, Big Awesome has
stepped out with a top-notch EP that’s gonna be
hard to top. (Self-Released)
Billy Wallace And The Virginia Blues
Tucumcari, New Mexico and Other Songs
Tucumcari, New Mexico and Other Songs is the
sound of miles of travels, hundreds of shared
experiences and a shit ton of laughs. Billy Wallace is
a rare breed of musician/story teller who perfectly
illustrates his experiences through song. This album
even sounds as if it’s its own event happening as the
music plays. Gang vocals come and go at the right
time, horns blare here and there, and the music will
implore you to make your own adventures.
(Mind Over Matter Records)
Branden Daniel and The Chics
Keep ‘Em Flying
Seattle’s knights of R&B infused rock ‘n roll, Brendan Daniel and The Chics are a raucous trio that
put some swagger into a classic rock sound. You
may have heard their music on a few TV shows this
year as the songs “All Things Chic” and “Mor Yay”
were featured on episodes of Beavis and Butthead
and Jersey Shore as well as Heart of Dixie and Mob
59
Wives. Odds are though, anyone watching those
shows probably doesn’t care about music.
(Self-Released)
Cari Clara
Midnight March
Much like their label-mates, Accents, Cari Clara are
purveyors of indie pop and rock, but they take a
more orchestral approach to it. Midnight March is
as anthemic as Arcade Fire, but still intimate as Bon
Ivor. The sound on some of the songs is huge, like
Polyphonic Spree huge, and evoke the feeling of
standing front and center at their live show.
(Deep Elm)
The Casket Lottery
Real Fear
I was never a huge fan of The Casket Lottery before
they broke up, but upon listening to their latest
album, Real Fear, I get what all the talk was about.
With Real Fear, The Casket Lottery prove that they
haven’t lost anything in their time away. This album
will be swallowed up by current fans and will help
the band gain some new ones in the process.
(No Sleep Records)
Ceremony
Zoo
I missed out on all the buzz around Ceremony’s last
album Rohnert Park, so I went into this album with
a fresh perspective and I came away a fan. Zoo is
some near perfect garage rock/punk that is nearly
the definition of garage rock; loud, dirty, raw.
(Matador Records)
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Certain People I Know
Certain People I Know
To be honest, when Certain People I Know released
the demos from this album a while back, I wasn’t
really impressed with them. I’m a huge Bob Nanna
fan, and it was a little weird that I didn’t immediately like something he’s put out. Luckily, the good
people at Count Your Lucky Stars coerced Nanna
into releasing all 9 songs. While not much, if anything has changed from the demos to full-length,
the songs now resonate with me. The music on
this self-titled LP is near what Nanna and Damon
Atkinson did in Hey Mercedes and while still not
my favorite thing Nanna has released, it’s still quite
good. Also want to mention that Lauren LoPiccolo’s
vocals are great on this and add a nice contrast to
Bob Nanna’s. (Count Your Lucky Stars)
Cheap Girls
Giant Orange
Cheap Girls remind me a lot of 90s era punk and
there is nothing wrong with that. Giant Orange is a
no-filler record and I dare you to find a song to skip
over. Cheap Girls know how to craft these little punk
gems with insightful lyrics and catchy hooks.
(Rise Records)
Cherry Cola Champions
Cherry Cola Champions
Ohio is producing so many great bands right now
and Kent’s Cherry Cola Champions are one of the
many that are killing it. You can really tell that this
album was written with such preciseness so that
the music hits when the vocals need it to and vice
versa. There is a lot of variety in the songs and
a little something for everyone on this self-titled
album. Crank it up to 11, grab your favorite cola,
and sit back and enjoy it. (Self-Released)
CityCop.
Seasons
CityCop. play a blend of folk and hardcore, “Acoustic-core” if you will, two genres that you wouldn’t
think go together, but CityCop. pulls it off quite well.
There are touches of La Dispute and Thursday on
Seasons and CityCop. flows seamlessly between the
two, going from heavy to light in an instant.
Seasons is definitely original and something to
check out if you like the aforementioned bands.
(Flannel Gurl Records)
Classics Of Love
S/T
All hail Jesse Michaels! Everybody has been waiting
for more material from the former Operation Ivy/
Common Rider member and Michaels delivers on
this self-titled album. This is the closest anyone will
get to new Op Ivy like songs, short of an Op Ivy
reunion. This album is truly great and very welcomed.
(Asian Man Records)
Clinic
Free Reign
A few weeks ago I was driving home and listening
to the local college radio station and I turned it on
just as they were talking about the new Clinic album
and proceeded to play “King Kong” from it. I’ve
heard of Clinic for ages but never really took the
time to listen to them until I was the car that day
and kind of forced to listen to them. Fast-forward a
few weeks and here I am listening to Free Reign and
“King Kong” comes on again. It’s enthralling and
inventive. There’s a part of the song that makes you
think your CD or player has started skipping, but
then it resumes its recognizable beat. I’ve gone from
a naysayer of Clinic to a downright fan in the matter
of a few songs. Such is the power of Free Reign.
(Domino Records)
Cloud Nothings
Attack On Memory
Attack On Memory is the first release to include
Dylan Baldi’s live band as full-time members and
co-writers. The song “Fall In” has a Tokyo Police
Club vibe to it and sounds like it could be used in a
car commercial. Engineered by Steve Albini, Attack
on Memory isn’t one of those albums where you
think Albini engineered it. There have been other
albums that Albini has done that are obvious, but
this one feels like it could’ve been done by anyone.
Having heard very little of this band, Attack On
Memory was quite a surprise. (Carpark Records)
Crypts
Crypts
Crypts is Steve Snere’s, past singer of Killsadie and
These Arms Are Snakes newest project. Crypts is
dark electro pop with distorted vocals like Snere
often did in These Arms Are Snakes. It’s nice to see
Snere branching out from his past band’s music and
I think fans of TAAS’s darker material will enjoy this.
(Sargent House)
Dads
American Radass (This Is Important)
The first time I saw and listened to the “Bakefast at
Piffanys” video, I knew that American Radass (This
Is Important) would be an amazing album. I can’t
tell you how many times I’ve listened to this album,
it’s in the hundreds for sure, and it still holds up.
I don’t think anyone could’ve guessed how good
this album is. The album slows things down in the
middle for the 7-minute “Shit Twins”, a song that
has quickly become a fan requested favorite. The
lyrics on American Radass (This Is Important) are
honest and relatable and the music is bouncy and
upbeat. Easily #1 album of the year.
(Flannel Gurl Records)
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Daemon Familiar
Brontosaurus Rex
Daemon Familiar is a power pop band from Chicago
and Brontosaurus Rex is a definite improvement
from what I remember their last album sounding
like. Everything from the lyrics to the production
sound better on this album. If they keep improving
like this, they should have no problem finding an
adoring audience. (Self-Released)
Dan Deacon
America
Whether you’re a fan of Dan Deacon’s music or
not, you’ve surely heard the name before. Deacon
is a composer and electronic musician that has
released 8 albums since 2003 and America is his
latest. America is a frenetic and danceable album, in
an electronic indie sort of way, and will win over a
person with little interest in electronic music.
(Domino)
Dark Pony
Suburban Serenade Vol. 1
Suburban Serenade Vol. 1 is an eclectic mix of pop,
rock, and soul. Each song has a bit of a different feel
to it and stands on its own. The song “Turnaround”
is the stand out track on the album and I could
really see this song being the song to break Jon
Herchert into the mainstream. (Self-Released)
Deerhoof
Breakup Song
Deerhoof is another one of those bands that I’ve
come across in publications and never paid any
attention to. I had an idea what they sounded like,
but it was a skewed idea based on whatever I had
read about them. Breakup Song is a perfect album
to break up the monotony of straight-forward music
you might listen to. Kind of like a kick to the ear
drums to say, “HEY WAKE UP! THE DANCE PARTY
IS HERE!” (Polyvinyl Records)
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Departures
Still and Moving Lines
Not to be confused with Departures from the UK,
this Canadian version of Departures blends indie
rock with a slight post-punk attitude. At times they
kind of remind me of The American Analog Set, but
with more pop sensibilities. While Still and Moving
Lines is not something I’d probably listen to often, I
definitely wouldn’t be bothered if it came up on the
radio. (Borana Records)
Dikembe
Broad Shoulders
You’ll probably recognize Dikembe because they
share members with label-mates Wavelets, but
don’t sound too similar. Broad Shoulders, like Dads’
American Radass, is an album that is helping define
the genre in a good way. In 10 years when people
look back at the emo or twinkly or whatever you
want to call it scene, Broad Shoulders will be one of
those albums that is brought up constantly because
of its depth and listenability. (Tiny Engines)
Dowsing
It’s Still Pretty Terrible
Dowsing’s latest release, It’s Still Pretty Terrible is
like spending the day with your lady (or guy). Songs
like “Midwest Living”, “Gengar! Gengar! Gengar!”,
and “What Did You Ever Do?” will be the soundtrack
to waking up and spending the day outside together
doing couple things like pushing each other on
swings and feeding each other small bites of
desserts at the corner cafe. Later that night, the
two of you can play big spoon, little spoon and talk
about growing old together while songs like
“Somerset”, “Littoral”, and “Get Dead” usher you
into a sleepy embrace. (Count Your Lucky Stars)
The Eeries
Home Alone
The 60’s garage rock scene is alive and well on
Home Alone, the latest from The Eeries. Play Home
Alone for your parents and watch them stumble
back down memory lane and tell you about the
days when music was good. Better yet, keep this to
yourself and enjoy it. (Evil Weevil Records)
Eux Autres
Sun is Sunk
Originally a brother/sister duo, Eux Autres is now a
trio and Sun is Sunk is their latest and best release.
The songs on Sun is Sunk are much more realized
than their previous stuff. With some European flair,
this San Francisco band have really nailed down the
garage pop sound. (Self-Released)
Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)/Rika
Split 7”
With the amount of splits Empire! Empire! have
been out lately, they easily could’ve put out a new
LP. I’m not complaining, they know this too. The
two songs by Empire! Empire! are what you would
expect from them, great stuff to say the least.
Austria’s Rika, who are new to me, have a really nice
nearly 7-minute song that is similar to their
counterpart on this split, but is unique in its own
way. Definitely a band I will have to check out more.
(Count Your Lucky Stars/ Goddamn Records)
Evans The Death
Evans The Death
Sometimes when I go through my albums to review
list, I’ll come across an album that I have no clue
how it got there or where it came from. This selftitled debut from UK’s Evans The Death is one of
those albums. Upon listening to it, I was pleasantly
surprised by this young band’s fun pop sound. They
are sure to turn heads with their familiar female
vocals and penchant for writing pop songs.
(Slumberland)
Empire! Empire!/Mountains for Clouds/Two
Knights/Driving on City Sidewalks
4 Way Split
These 4-way splits are the 90’s equivalent to the
Punk-O-Rama compilations. They are a great way
for established bands to release new music and
for newer bands to get some visibility. The Empire!
Empire! song is obviously good; Mountains for
Clouds are definitely getting better; Two Knights
have an early Maps and Atlases thing going on with
screamier vocals; and Driving on City Sidewalks is
still one of the most underrated bands in the scene.
(Count Your Lucky Stars)
Everyone Everywhere
Everyone Everywhere (2012)
Choosing to self-release their latest self-titled
album, Everyone Everywhere accomplished a lot
with this great album. Labels everywhere should
be kicking themselves for not trying harder to sign
these boys. If you were on the fence about this band
before, this self-titled album is the push you need
to love this band. Great songwriting combined with
interesting melodies make this album a must own.
(Self-Released)
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Ex Cops
True Hallucinations
Featuring ex-members of Hymns and Minks, New
York’s Ex Cops started out as a two piece, but grew
into a five piece band before going in to record True
Hallucinations. True Hallucinations is lo-fi pop at its
best. It’s got a bit of beach sand and ocean waves
thrown in to give it some chill.
(Other Music Recording Co.)
The Fake Boys
Pig Factory
The Fake Boys are like a harder edge Weezer with a
Billy Corgan like frontman, steeped in 90s alternative and pop punk. Pig Factory could easily find
a place on a mixtape with those aforementioned
bands and nobody would second guess it.
(Animal Style Records)
Family Room
Rake
I’m not really a fan of county or folk music, but Evan
Jewett’s Family Room held my attention all the way
through his latest album, Rake. The songs here are
ornate, pleasant and are more straight-forward than
Jewett’s other music he’s released with Worker Bee.
All in all, Rake is an album worth checking out for
the track “Shape Shifting” alone. (Self-Released)
Fang Island
Major
Brooklyn’s Fang Island kind of remind me of a
mixture of Ratatat’s guitar work and some classic
rock vocals. Major is a hoot to listen to and will put
a smile on your face. The songs are infectious and
catchy without being overly upbeat. It’s like a party
coming out of your speakers with every listen.
(Sargent House)
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The Farewell Circuit
In Our Bones
The Farewell Circuit are one of Minnesota’s hidden
gems. In Our Bones is a well-crafted dreamy indie
rock album that does not disappoint. This is a must
for fans of early Copeland or Death Cab For Cutie.
There is a lot of variety on In Our Bones, from piano
ballad, “Oh My God”, to rock song ‘Run For The
Hills”. It’s an album that almost anyone could find a
favorite song on. (Princess Records)
Field Music
Field Music Play...
Field Music is back with their second release this
year and it’s an album of cover songs. It includes
covers of songs by Barrett, Robert Wyatt, Pet Shop
Boys, Roxy Music, Leonard Cohen, John Cale and
The Beatles. The covers are pretty good and are
done in typical Field Music fashion. It’s a fun little
album that fits in well with the rest of their catalog.
(Memphis Industries)
Heat Dust
Self-Titled
Heat Dust is a New Orleans trio of garage pop rockers with fuzzed out guitars and a knack for writing
catchy tunes. The five songs on this self-titled EP
span a nation of influences from Seattle’s early
grunge to New York’s art punk.
(Texas Is Funny Records)
Hold Tight
Blizzard of “96
Fourteen blazing punk songs in the vein of Lifetime
and New Found Glory in just under 27 minutes.
Hold Tight are carrying the torch of pop punk and
are doing an awesome job of it. Easily one of those
classic albums that will stand the test of time.
(Animal Style Records)
Hostage Calm
Please Remain Calm
I don’t think anyone else in the indie music scene is
doing music the way Hostage Calm is doing it, and
if they are, they certainly aren’t doing it as well as
Hostage Calm. I don’t even have a genre or a way
to describe the music they play, it’s just positive,
intelligent and fun. Hostage Calm has continually
progressed from album to album and they’ve hit
a new peak with Please Remain Calm. To get off
track for a moment, when I listen to this album,
I can imagine this band doing a really awesome
Christmas album, and everyone would love it. Back
on track now, Please Remain Calm is an excellent
album that everyone should hear.
(Run For Cover Records)
The Hullmen
No Return
The Hullmen play a pretty basic rock style with
distorted guitars with repetitive rhythms. The guitar,
bass and drums all sound pretty good on their own,
but as a whole, it’s nothing really exciting.
(Self-Released)
I Call Fives
I Call Fives
Like Hold Tight’s latest, I Call Fives is another
torchbearer of really good pop punk. Their sound is
closer in tune with New Found Glory, and will turn
even the most fierce pop punk rejectors into fans.
(Pure Noise Records)
Joan of Arc
Presents Joan of Arc
The ever evolving and always surprising Joan of Arc
are back with the first of many releases this year
and what is probably their most ambitious. Joan of
Arc Presents... is an epic 82 minute instrumental
soundtrack to the classic silent 1928 silent film
The Passion of Joan of Arc. This soundtrack must
be watched along with the film to fully grasp the
complexity of such a project. Luckily some hardcore
JOA fans synced up this soundtrack to the film on
YouTube for your viewing pleasure. This film is a
classic in its own right, but this soundtrack makes
it 10x more enjoyable because it creates all these
other emotions though hearing the music.
(Joyful Noise Recordings)
Joan of Arc
Pine Cone
Pine Cone is one of the many releases Tim Kinsella
and Joan of Arc have coming out this year. Pine
Cone consists of two mostly instrumental 19-minute sides that go back and forth between standard
indie/rock songs and electronic noises and samples.
They save the last two minutes of the album for a
quick song sung solo by Tim and his guitar. You
never know what to expect with Joan of Arc, but it’s
always refreshing trying to wrap your brain around
their latest releases. Never the norm with this band
and that’s one of the things that make them great.
It should also be noted that there is some amazing
artwork/packaging done for this by Landland.
(Landland is not a Record Label/Joyful Noise)
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (Charlie Chaplin and The Elephant Man)
The final album of Joan of Arc’s trilogy of albums
this year features some of the most minimalist song
work we’ve seen from Tim Kinsella and company
in a while. The first side features six songs, five of
them being folk songs with just Tim and his guitar
singing songs inspired by things like slapstick
Dutch conceptual artists and the Elephant Man.
With so much varying material that Tim has put out
in the past, it’s easy to forget that he can hold his
own when it is just him solo with a guitar. The
second side of the album is a single 15 minute
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instrumental piece with a long detailed description that I will spare you. I will say though that
the process in which the song was made is quite
interesting and has a dreamlike quality to it.
(Joyful Noise Recordings)
Joie De Vivre
We’re All Better Than This
Those sneaky kids in Joie De Vivre were playing
possum (for a peek) when they broke up. I bet the
whole time they were “broken up” they were hard
at work making the best album of their lives, so far.
We’re All Better Than This is titled like a comeback
album, like they finally realized that being “broken
up” was a stupid idea and they should get back to
what they do best, mending the emo hearts of the
young through music. (Count Your Lucky Stars)
Jowls
Cursed
Fans of Refused and Botch are gonna love this
new EP from Jowls. It oozes with Refused like
urgency but with Midwestern roots. Kind of like
Song of Zarathustra with out the keyboards. Cursed
is perfect at six songs. It’s just long enough to be
satisfying without getting stale. (Tiny Engines)
The Keystone Kids
Things Get Shaky
One of the many musical outputs of Slingshot
Dakota’s Carly Comando, The Keystone Kids is a
collaboration between her and Ryan O’Donnell. The
first song sounds like it could be off of a Slingshot
album and the rest off the songs have a Postal Service like vibe with the vocals being shared between
Carly and Ryan. Things Get Shaky is quite good and
would please any Slingshot Dakota fan.
(Deep Elm Records)
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Kid Brother Collective
Highway Miles
Recently re-released on vinyl, 2003’s Highway Miles
from the influential Flint, MI indie/emo band Kid
Brother Collective is a must have for fans of early
Jimmy Eat World and Mineral. It’s nice to see a label
re-release something local to them and something
this good that many may have missed when it
originally came out. (County Your Lucky Stars)
Kite Party
Baseball Season
Freshly reissued on vinyl by Animal Style Records,
Baseball Season rocks like Restorations and is a
testament to great songwriting. After listening to
this album, I now see what all the praise was about.
It’s just that damn good. (Animal Style Records)
Kittyhawk
Kittyhawk EP
It’s been a long time since an EP has enamored me
so much. Featuring Kate Grube of Into It. Over It.’s
live band and members of Dowsing, this EP is simply amazing. The back and forth female and male
vocals are chill inducing and the music is catchy
and intricate. The song that really sticks out the
most is the middle song of the EP, “Science Fiction”.
It starts out with the voice of a little girl speaking
into a recording device with her father in the background. The music builds up as she talks into the
microphone and the part that gets me every time
is the part where the dad says “What in the world
are you doing? You’re a wild animal!” The way the
dad says it, in a playful tone, and the giggling from
the girl, is just perfect. It puts every other sampled
sound in any indie song to shame. The members of
this band have stumbled onto something great and I
hope they continue on with it. (Self-Released)
La Armada
La Armada
Transplanted Dominicans and current Chicago
residents, La Armada play some of the most brutal
Spanish language thrash this side of the border.
Sticking to their ideals by singing only in their native
tongue, La Armada are influential to many young
Latina/o bands as well as non Latina/o bands.
(Fat Sandwich Records)
Lorelei
Enterprising Sidewalks
Enterprising Sidewalks is Lorelei’s first album
since 1994’s Everyone Must Touch The Stove. This
legendary DC band hasn’t lost a step over the years
and this album proves it. While they may not attract
the attention they once did, Enterprising Sidewalks
is a great album that encompasses everything about
music from the DC area. (Slumberland)
Like Bats
Midwest Nothing
Looking for a Lawrence Arms fix to hold you over
until their next album, then check out Midwest
Nothing from Illinois’s Like Bats. They combine the
song craft of Lawrence Arms and the speed and
punk stylings of Banner Pilot into an insanely catchy
album. (John Wilkes Booth Records)
Lungfish
A.C.R. 1999 Session
Six of these songs on this release were re-recorded
and eventually ended up on Lungfish’s 2000 album
Necrophones, the remaining four were previously
unreleased. The great things about this release is
that shows the creative process in which Lungfish
worked, and how the six songs changed before
being rerecorded for Necrophones. The unreleased
songs are quite good on this release and would
please any Lungfish fan. (Dischord)
Like Pioneers
Oh, Magic
Breaking farther away from their days as Bound
Stems, Oh, Magic shows a band that refuses to quit
while still getting better at songwriting. Oh, Magic
is a lyrical and musical progression from their
previous, Piecemeal. While their is very little filler on
this album, some key tracks on this album include,
“Champion”, “Tell Em’ Ghost”, and “On The
Morning Of His Farewell”. (Abandoned Love)
Lipona
Networks
After a string of self-released releases, Lipona
has inked up with a label for their latest release, Networks. Networks shows the band at their strongest,
like all this time they’ve been building up to this
moment. If you’re familiar with Lipona’s previous
releases, you know how much work goes into these
albums. There’s no fucking around with Lipona, they
just do what they do and it comes out great each
time. (Disconnect Disconnect Records)
Make Do and Mend
Everything You Ever Loved
Everything You Ever Loved reminds me a lot of
Separation from Balance and Composure. I’m still
on the fence on the B&C album and the latest from
Make Do and Mend hasn’t really won me over either.
Even though a lot of the songs on Everything You
Ever Loved are quite good, they just don’t grab me
enough to want to give this repeated listens, just an
occasional one here and there. (Rise Records)
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Maps & Atlases
Beware and Be Grateful
It took me a little to get into the latest Maps and
Atlases album, Beware and Be Grateful. I’ve
followed this band since their early days and it’s
been fun watching their music grow. Growth just
doesn’t always mean you’re going to like it though.
They’ve definitely adopted more of a pop sound and
mostly dropped the heavy guitar noodling that they
were known for, save for a few songs at the end of
the album. (Barsuk Records)
The Marine Electric
Restrained Joy
There is something familiar about The Marine
Electric. Whatever it is, it’s nice. It’s quite easy to
like this album. They have a Signals Midwest quality
to them that stands out the most. Restrained Joy
is a pretty good album that takes a fresh run at the
genre and scores near the top.
(Insrgnt / Unbuckled)
Matt and Kim
Lightning
Matt and Kim’s latest album, Lightning, marks a
return to their roots that were planted by their selftitled album and follow-up, Grand. Their last album,
Sidewalks, showed them venturing a bit with their
sound and was kind of a let down, but Lightning
is a playful jaunt that is Matt and Kim’s trademark.
Lightning is a party on wax that will brighten
anybody’s mood. (Fader)
Meridian
Aging Truths
You may know the voice of Meridian as Max Stern
from Signals Midwest. Meridian is a project Max
shares with his brother and it’s like a stripped
down folksy version of his main band. Max has
a knack for songwriting and it conveys into any
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musical genre. Aging Truths is like the after party to
Signals Midwest all out rager. It’s calm, relaxed and
intimate. (Self-Released)
Mixtapes
Even on the Worst Nights
If there ever was an award for most consistent
band, it would go to Mixtapes. Their formula really
hasn’t changed since their inception, they just write
honest little playful pop-punk songs. That’s also the
problem though. While they still write good songs,
their sound has become somewhat predictable and
unvarying. Even on the Worst Nights will win new
fans over, and the diehard fans will be just be
accepting of it. (No Sleep Records)
Nude Beach
II
NYC’s Nude Beach perfectly mix southern garage
rock with a New York swagger on II. II is just a fun
record to listen to, one that puts a little smile on
your face when it comes on, and good enough to
listen to again and again.
(Other Music Recording Co.)
Observer Drift
Corridors
Much like how Owl City got his start, Collin Ward as
Observer Drift masters his craft from the basement
of his parent’s Minnesota home. While Owl City is a
little more pop oriented, Observer Drift is more chill
with hushed vocals. For such a young project, the
music is really well-crafted and well-done. Ward
really took his time recording each instrument
himself to get it all proper and it really shows.
(Self-Released)
Old Flings
Spite
Re-harvesting 90’s alternative rock, North Carolina’s
Old Flings really succeeds with Spite. Honest lyrics
with a no bullshit attitude, Spite is just an overall
great album from front to back.
(Bitter Melody/Self Aware)
Olive Drab
Girl EP
Featuring current and ex-members of Hightide
Hotel, Snowing, and Pirouette, this short four song
EP really shines. It’s got a sad lo-fi emo garage
rock feel to it that is not like their previous bands.
Whether this is their only release or not, it’s cool to
see a bunch of talented musicians put something
out for fun. (Self-Released)
Palette Town
Life, Love, & Laser Guns
There is quite the growth shown on Life, Love, and
Laser Guns, the second EP from Miami’s Palette
Town. Having only released 7 songs and 2 remixes
so far, this young band has proven that they have
what it takes to write great music and still have fun.
Their brand of jangly indie pop is bouncy and
addicting. Kind of like a younger and more fun
Minus the Bear. (Self-Released)
Parlour Tricks
Parlour Tricks
Judging by the cover art for this self-titled release,
you would’ve thought Parlour Tricks was a songstress with a sultry voice. Guess that old saying
about judging things by their cover was right. South
Carolina’s Parlour Tricks are in fact 3 guys who
play new wavey post punk and this debut album of
theirs is a nice break from more standard music and
popular genres. (Self-Released)
Paul Buchanan
Mid Air
You may know Paul Buchanan from the legendary
80’s underground Glaswegian group, The Blue Nile.
While The Blue Nile’s early music used synthesizers,
electronic instrumentation and percussion, Mid Air
is mostly Paul’s rich weathered voice and a piano.
The album is gorgeously minimalistic, stark and
intimate. The only thing that could make this better
is if there was an orchestra backing him up.
(Newsroom Records)
Pebaluna
Carny Life
Featuring Matt Embree previously of Rx Bandits,
Pebaluna’s real star here is vocalist Lauren
Coleman. Her voice is strong, sultry and could
probably out sing any number of current popular
female singers. (MDB Records)
Phil Barry
Between the Carolinas
Phil Barry’s quite soft voice carries Between The
Carolinas quite well. The music is laid back and easy
to get down with and the lyrics are heartfelt and
honest. What more can you ask for?
(Princess Records)
Pinback
Information Retrieved
Pinback could write about the most mundane topics
and still make the music sound intriguing. Just like
most Pinback albums, there are a couple of songs
that are just pop music gems. “Fortress” from
Summer of Abaddon and “Good to Sea” from
Autumn of the Seraphs come to mind and on
Information Retrieved that pop gem is the opener
“Proceed to Memory”. After a 5 year gap between
albums, it’s the perfect choice to let listeners know
that Pinback is back and still got it.
(Temporary Residence)
69
Pomegranates
Heaven
Pomegranates have come a long way since their
debut album in 2008. Having released 3 more
albums including their latest, Heaven, since then,
they have grown and experimented with each
release. I wasn’t thrilled with their last album, One
of Us, and was hoping for a return to form on
Heaven. They’ve taking some of their roots and
mixed them up with a faster tempo and a groovier
beat and for the most part it works. Heaven is a step
in the right direction for the band and hope they
continue experimenting like this. (Modern Outsider)
Pswingset
All Our False Starts
In a scene of indie and emo revival bands, Pswingset makes an album that is a challenge to get into
and is devoid of expectations. I applaud them
greatly for it. They could’ve taken the easy route
and recorded something that people would’ve loved
immediately, but instead they put out something
that requires the listener to be engaged and actively
listening to it while it plays. All Our False Starts is
not an album for people with short attention spans,
it’s an album for people who truly love music.
(Topshelf Records)
Red Collar
Welcome Home
It took me a while to get into this album as it’s one
of the genres I frequent least, but after a few
repeated listens, it finally started sticking. Their
brand of American rock is unflappable. You can
really feel the passion for music and performing in
frontman Jason Kutchma’s voice. If this album is
any indication of the way music is moving, I’ve got
no qualms with that. (Tiny Engines)
Redgrave
National Act
There isn’t much difference between this EP and
their previous one except that they have definitely
gotten better. The vocals are louder and more direct,
and the drums hit harder than ever. If you enjoyed
their last EP, you’re gonna love this one too.
(Lovitt Records)
70
Reel Big Fish
Candy Coated Fury
Still clinging onto that 3rd Wave of Ska, Reel Big
Fish is back with the best release in years. It’s not
hard calling it their best when their last few albums
were pretty bad. Even though it’s their best album,
I’ve gone back and forth on this album a lot. On
one side I really like the music and it’s the closest
they’ve come to Turn Off The Radio. On the other
side though, it’s the same lyrical content they’ve
always done. It’s the same you suck, my girlfriend
sucks, everything sucks content that made them
popular. They’ve got the instrument parts figured
out properly, it’s just time they matured with the
lyrics and got out of middle school.
(Rock Ridge Music)
Restorations
A/B
Continuing on their path to world music domination
and becoming the first band to play the International
Space Station (wait for it), Restorations are back
with a little slice of rock ‘n’ roll pie. And of course
this pie is delicious with it’s whipped cream topping
and Oreo crumb crust; Restorations wouldn’t screw
you by giving you Peach Cobbler or Strawberry
Rhubarb, this shit is the real deal. Rainbow sprinkles, check! Peanut Butter Cups, check! Total guitar
shreddage, fuck yes! It’s a fact that the song names
on this 7” are abbreviations for “A” AWESOME and
“B” BAD-ASS. Pack your bags fellas, NASA is calling. (Tiny Engines)
Run, Forever
Settling
I was really impressed with Run, Forever’s last
album, The Devil, And Death, And Me., and came
into Settling with high expectations. All those
expectations and more were exceedingly met.
They’ve definitely gotten better at what they do and
this album has seamlessly turned into on of my
recent favorites. (Tiny Engines)
Save Ends
Strength Vs. Will
The only thing that would make this EP better is if
it were longer. The five songs that are one Strength
Vs. Will are reminiscent of early The Get Up Kids
and The Anniversary. It’s extremely pleasing to the
ear and just all around awesome music.
(Self-Released)
The Scutches
Ten Songs, Ten Years
There will always be a place in my heart for short
pop punk songs. The Scutches deliver that and a
little bit more on Ten Songs, Ten Years. The lyrics
cover standard topics of pop punk, love and
relationships, but I’ll give them a pass this time
because the music is too catchy. (Bright & Barrow)
Sharks Come Crusin’
Hardtack EP
Packaged in a decorative tin with hardtrack biscuit,
it’s nice to see a band really make an effort with
their packaging to make something original.
Featured on this EP are 4 sea shanties that will have
your booty swaying like a pirate ship on the high
seas! There is a lot of exuberance displayed on
this EP that is addicting and I can imagine their live
shows being one hell of a party. (Self-Released)
Silian Rail
Each/other
I’ve listened this album numerous time and never
once would’ve guessed that this Bay Area instrumental band was a two-piece. There is just so much
going on sonically. Unfortunately, this band is taking
a break for the foreseeable future, which is a shame
because any one who writes a song as good as
“Glass House” should really keep going.
(Side With Us)
Sleeping Bag
Women Of Your Life
I got hooked on Sleeping Bag when I heard their
self-titled album last year. It was full of these great
little pop songs that were pretty basic, but also
clever and inventive. Their latest album, Women Of
Your Life, contains the same charm as their previous album, but shows the band trying some new
things with infectious melodies and jangling guitars.
It’s a shame that this album was put out around the
time everyone was submitted their year end lists.
Had this album been release earlier in the year, it
would surely be near the top.
(Joyful Noise Recordings)
Sleeping People
NOTRUF EP
Their latest release since their double-album,
Growing in 2007, Sleeping People is back with a
two-song 12” that is a mixture of early Dianogah
and Turing Machine with a lot of start/stop
dynamics and really cool guitar interplay.
(Temporary Residence)
Sleepyhead
2012 Demo
Hailing from the Twin Cities, Sleepyhead takes
influences from other bigger local bands like Banner
Pilot and Off With There Heads and some older local
bands like The Crush. This being a demo, the songs
aren’t quite polished as they could be, but it
definitely shows a lot of promise for this young
band. (Self-Released)
Slingshot Dakota
Dark Hearts
Oh man, what an album! I was quite surprised by
the maturity displayed on Slingshot Dakota’s latest
album Dark Hearts. At first I thought that they had
lost some of their fun/poppiness of their
previous album Their Dreams Are Dead, But Ours Is
The Golden Ghost, but the more I listened to Dark
Hearts, more layers began to be noticed and
appreciated. Dark Hearts is a top-notch album.
(Topshelf Records)
71
Stagnant Pools
Temporary Room
What I take away from Stagnant Pools Temporary
Room is a lot of noise. The music is good, but the
slow lackadaisical vocals are buried so far behind
the music it’s hard to hear them. Temporary Room
has a new wavey rock vibe to it and I really wanted
to like it, but I just couldn’t get past the loud fuzz of
the music enough to enjoy the vocals.
(Polyvinyl Records)
State Lines
S/T 7”
It’s kind of rare for a band to come along and knock
your tube socks off twice, especially when you wear
sock suspenders, but State Lines has done just that
with their latest self-titled 7”. I should mention that
I was wearing shoes at the time of knocking off and
they were tied tight. That’s just the power of a band
like State Lines. Their songs are earnest and make
you feel feelings and junk. Insist your friends listen
to State Lines, but warn them about potential sock
knockage beforehand. It could get real messy if a
bunch of them have their socks knocked off at the
same time. (Tiny Engines)
The Stereo State
Crossing Canyons
Immediately this band reminded me of a American
version of Sweden’s Millencolin with the slightly
gruff vocals and the mature punk sound being
indicators. Crossing Canyons is a pretty great EP
and is recommended for fans of The Loved Ones
and Red Collar. (Creator-Destructor Records)
Sundials
When I Couldn’t Breathe
Good bands like Sundials are few and far between.
They perfectly blend pop punk with rocking melodies
and catchy hooks. They have a sound like Weezer,
had Weezer ended after Pinkerton and not released a
slew of subpar albums. When I Couldn’t Breathe is an
excellent album and I could easily see this band being
huge. (Asian Man Records)
72
Tawny Peaks
Tawny Peaks
Tawny Peaks is another one of those bands that I
found by searching through Bandcamp an seeing
what piques my interest. They have alternating
male/female vocals happening at times and it’s
always done in good taste and not forced. This
self-titled EP is an interesting take on the emo/math
rock genre, kind of like The Anniversary at times,
but more emo, and I think that once enough people
hear this, labels will be offering their services. The
band would fit perfect on Count Your Lucky Stars or
Flannel Gurl Records. (Self-Released)
Toe
The Future Is Now
I’ve been hearing things about Japan’s Toe for years
and every good thing I’ve heard about them is true.
They are like a Japanese version of Pele and even
released a split with them years ago. If you’re a fan
of instrumental math rock/post rock, The Future Is
Now is for you. (Topshelf Records)
Trebuchet
Trebuchet
Three of the four members of Trebuchet make up
the excellent instrumental outfit Not To Reason
Why, but you wouldn’t guess it by Trebuchet’s lush
female/male vocals and folksy leanings. The vocals
are the main point on this self-titled release. They
are warm, intimate and comforting. If you’re looking
for some music that is relaxing, then look no further
than this release. (Side With Us)
Tyler Daniel Bean
Longing
Here I thought I was getting into some singer/songwriter Oberst wannabe before I listened to Longing.
Upon listening, what flowed out of my speakers
was a nearly full fleshed band playing some rocking
tunes that are in the Oberst spectrum, but maybe
a little closer to contemporaries Run, Forever. Give
Longing a listen and see how it affects you.
(Kat Kat Records)
Undesirable People
Eugenics
As the first song blares out immediately as the
play button is pushed, Undesirable People get your
attention quickly and don’t let go. This short 6-song
EP is nearly enough to make you a fan of their
familiar sound and while it may not be
genre-defying, it is at least well-done and better
than most. (South Division Records)
We Were Skeletons
Blame and Aging
I don’t know what happened in the time between
their last full length and this one, but We Were
Skeletons got unfuckingstoppable. They were good
before, but these new songs are fantastic. This
album is like Slint on steroids. Just listen to the
song “End All Suffering” for confirmation.
(Topshelf Records)
Wolves At Bay
Only A Mirror
Raw and gritty aren’t two things when you think
of a city like Hamden, CT. But those two words
can accurately describe Hamden’s Wolves At Bay.
Only a Mirror is a pretty good album. The song that
first jumps out at me is “Breaking In Two” which
features James Carroll of Make Do and Mend, due
to the two band’s singers having opposing vocals
that mesh well together. Only A Mirror is definitely
an album that will surprise you with how good it is,
it just might take a few listens to get there.
(Animal Style Records)
You’ll Live
Above The Weather
Above The Weather from South Florida’s You’ll Live
takes me back to when I was first getting into music
and going to small, packed hardcore shows with
bands that are long forgotten. You’ll Live carries
that same genuine spirit and angst in their music
that those bands did way back when. Above The
Weather was a great find and is one of my favorites
this year. (Self-Released)
Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson
Small Changes We Hardly Notice
Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson is a
Norwegian post rock band that has a Death Cab
For Cutie vibe to them, but with roots in post rock
and emo. This EP is practically a full-length with
four songs clocking in at nearly 22 minutes and
every song is good. I passed over their previous
full-length a couple years ago when everyone was
talking about them, but with as strong as a release
that Small Changes We Hardly Notice is, I’m going
to pillage their back catalog to find some more
tunes to enjoy. (Count Your Lucky Stars)
Take Manual Dexterity Music Zine
everywhere you go!
Next time you’re waiting in line
at the DMV, head over to
issuu.com/mandexzine (bookmark
that shit, yo!) on your mobile device
and bask in the glory of the printed
word…on the internet!
73
The Ambulars // Dreamers Asleep at the Wheel // theambulars.bandcamp.com
Big Awesome // Birdfeeder // bigawesome.bandcamp.com
Cherry Cola Champions // Cherry Cola Champions // cherrycolachampions.bandcamp.com
CityCop. // Seasons // citycop.bandcamp.com
Dads// American Radass (this is important) // dadsnj.bandcamp.com
Hold Tight // Blizzard of “96 // holdtight.bandcamp.com
Kittyhawk // Kittyhawk EP // kittyhawkisaband.bandcamp.com
Like Bats // Midwest Nothing // likebats.bandcamp.com
Meridian // Aging Truths // meridianohio.bandcamp.com
Observer Drift // Corridors // observerdrift.bandcamp.com
Olive Drab // Girl EP // olivedrab.bandcamp.com
Palette Town // Life, Love, & Laser Guns // palettetown.bandcamp.com
Save Ends // Strength Vs. Will // saveends.bandcamp.com
Sleepyhead // 2012 Demo // sleepyheadpunx.bandcamp.com
Sundials // When I Couldn’t Breathe // sundials.bandcamp.com
Tawny Peaks // Tawny Peaks // tawnypeaks.bandcamp.com
Tyler Daniel Bean // Longing // tylerdanielbean.bandcamp.com
You’ll Live // Above The Weather // youlllive.bandcamp.com
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COVER, Pg 4-5: Nicole Kibert // elawgrrl.com
Pg 22-27: Molly Clark // joonphotography.com
Pg 28-29: Jonathan Minto //
neveramounttoanything.tumblr.com
Pg 30: Andrew Wells // andeewells.com
Pg 31-34: David Gottas //
flickr.com/photos/myonedude
Pg 35-37: Andrew Wells // andeewells.com
Pg 38-45: Nicole Kibert // elawgrrl.com
Pg 47-48: Michael Lambert //
michaellambert.co.uk
Pg 46-49: “Polaroid” photos provided by
Everyone Everywhere
Pg 50-53: Kati Murphy
Bands:
Dads // dads420.tumblr.com
Pswingset // pswingset.com
Kittyhawk // facebook.com/kittyhawkchicago
Everyone Everywhere //
everyoneeverywheremusic.com
Cherry Cola Champions //
cherrycolachampions.tumblr.com
Tawny Peaks // tawnypeaksnj.tumblr.com
Save Ends // saveends.com
Flashlights // flashlightsmusic.bandcamp.com
You’ll Live // youlllive.tumblr.com
Palette Town // facebook.com/PaletteTown.Music
People/Places:
Ben Sears // bensears.tumblr.com
Daniel Hawkins // danielpaulhawkins.com
It’s a Kling Thing // facebook.com/klingthing
Ads:
Young Hope // younghoperecords.com
Skeletal Lightning // skeletallightning.net
Better Days Will Haunt You //
betterdayswillhauntyou.com
Flannel Gurl Records // flannelgurl.com
Topshelf Records // topshelfrecords.org
Labels:
Abandonded Love // abandonedloverecords.com
Animal Style Records // animalstylerecords.com
Asian Man // asianmanrecords.com
Barsuk // barsuk.com
Bitter Melody // bittermelodyrecords.com
Bright Antenna Records // brightantenna.com
Bright and Barrow // brightandbarrow.com
Borana Records // boranarecords.com
Carpark Records // carparkrecords.com
Count Your Lucky Stars // cylsrecords.com
Creator-Destructor // creator-destructor.com
Deep Elm Records // deepelm.com
Dischord // Dischord.com
Disconnect Disconnect Records //
disconnectdisconnectrecords.bandcamp.com
Domino // dominorecordco.com
Epitonic // epitonic.com
Evil Weevil Records // evilweevil.tumblr.com
Fader // faderlabel.com
Fat Sandwich Records // fatsandwichrecords.com
Flannel Gurl Records // flannelgurl.com
John Wilkes Booth Records //
johnwilkesboothrecords.com
Joyful Noise // joyfulnoiserecordings.com
Kat Kat Records // katkatrecords.com
Landland Is Not A Record Label // landland.net
Lovitt Records // lovitt.com
Matador Records // matadorrecords.com
MDB Records // mdbcollective.com
Memphis Industries // memphis-industries.com
Mind Over Matter // mindovermatterrecords.com
Modern Outsider // modernoutsider.com
Newsroom // facebook.com/newroomreords
No Sleep Records // nosleeprecs.com
Other Music Recording Co. //
othermusicrecordingco.com
Polyvinyl Records // polyvinylrecords.com
Princess Records // facebook.com/PrincessRecords
Pure Noise Records // purenoise.net
Rise Records // riserecords.com
Rock Ridge Records // rockridgemusic.com
Run For Cover // runforcoverrecords.com
Salinas Records // salinasrecords.com
Sargent House // sargenthouse.com
Self Aware // selfawarerecords.com
Side With Us // sidewithus.com
South Division // southdivisionrecords.com
Slumberland // slumberlandrecords.com
Temporary Residence // temporaryresidence.com
Texas is Funny Records // texasisfunny.com
Tiny Engines // tinyengines.net
Topshelf Records // topshelfrecords.org
75